Older than the Stars

ages 3 – 8 (secular). Interested in a children’s book that tackles Big Bang cosmology, early solar system formation and development of life on earth? The title presents the emphasis of the book: all the organisms on earth today, even our own bodies, are made of elements present from the very, very, early beginnings of our universe. Pre-schoolers through elementary graders will appreciate this lively trek over billions of years, and adult readers will appreciate the sing-songy rhythm of the text: “This is the sun, our daily view, that was born from the dust, so old and new, thrown from the blast intense enough, to hurl the atoms so strong and tough, that formed in the star of red-hot stuff, that burst from the gas in a giant puff, that spun from the blocks that formed from the bits, that were born in the bang, when the world began.” More detailed paragraphs are included that could be skipped for younger children: “In time, some of the atoms in the ocean joined together to form tiny living creatures. At first, these creatures were so simple they didn’t think or even swim—they just floated in the water. But over time they evolved, getting bigger and more complex.”