LoveReading4Kids Says
March 2022 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2022
Ada loves watching the stars. Its hard to see them well from her home in New York City where there are always so many lights on – even at night. So she can’t wait to visit her grandparents in their quiet home by the sea. Here the nights get properly dark so that the stars shine really brightly. Ada is impatient for night to fall . To entertain her until it does, her grandfather introduces her to all the things of interest on the sea shore as well as telling her all about how the stars are made. He explains the gigantic scale of the galaxies and the incredible and impossible amount of time it would take her to actually reach the stars…Full of life and wonder and raising many of the questions that all children ask, the book is given an extra dimension by the clever interweaving of vivid contemporary illustrations with mind-expanding photographs taken from the Hubble telescope.
Julia Eccleshare M.B.E
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Ada and the Galaxies Synopsis
There is so much for Ada to do while visiting her grandparents on an island in Maine, but no amount of beachcombing and kayaking during the day can take the place of looking at the bright and beautiful stars at night. She can hardly wait for the sun to set, but will a thick fog spoil her stargazing plans?
Photographs taken from the Hubble telescope are seamlessly layered with charming illustrations to beautifully bring to life this enchanting story of a curious child and her caring grandfather, who share a love for our incredible night sky and the mysteries it holds.
About This Edition
Alan Lightman & Olga Pastuchiv Press Reviews
'New Yorker Ada, who has brown skin and curly hair, is delighted to arrive at her grandparents' Maine island house, where clear skies make it possible to view the stars she can't see in the city. . . . Chapman (Elizabeth Warren's Big, Bold Plans) has refined a loose-lined wash style that draws power from glowing light sources, creating night skies that glitter and seawater that sparkles.' - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'Young readers will delight in seeing our universe's interconnectedness, and, later, when Ada's family dashes outside to spin in starlight, they will recognize the inextricable bonds among loved ones... Astonishing artwork shines.' - Kirkus (starred review)
'This sparkling story spins small experiences into something grand. Its family dynamics are layered and loving, and its world is full of wonders. The arresting watercolor illustrations are exquisitely rendered, brimming with detail and warmth. Flora and fauna float in the margins, light glows from nighttime windows, and skies shimmer across full spreads; the universe feels endless on one page and intimate on the next. A joyful and dazzling exploration of our universe, on every scale.' - Booklist (starred review)
'luminous artwork' - The Bookseller
'A joyful and dazzling exploration of our universe' - Booklist
About Alan Lightman & Olga Pastuchiv
Alan Lightman (pictured) is a physicist and the bestselling author of Einstein's Dreams and other adult books. Modelled on his relationship with his granddaughter, Ada and the Galaxies is his first book for children. He is a professor at MIT and lives in Massachusetts.
Olga Pastuchiv is a children's book author, painter and commercial illustrator living in Maine. Susanna Chapman is an illustrator, muralist and designer. Her books include Elizabeth Warren's Big, Bold Plans, written by Laurie Ann Thompson. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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