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42nd out of 63 books
—
10 voters
Older Than the Stars
Stunning illustrations and lively verse tell the story of cosmic connections that tie human beings to the beginning of the universe. Simple, informative prose provides additional facts.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
February 1st 2010
by Charlesbridge Publishing
(first published 2010)
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My niece loves science (thank God). When we went to the library today, she wanted a non-fiction book about astronomy, and my nephew (who is extremely talented at choosing good books) randomly pulled this off the shelf, handed it to his sister, and said, "Here you go, Sister. You'll like this one."
This book was absolutely fantastic! The whole idea of the formation of the universe, and all of the extremely complex chemistry, physics, and things-I-can't-even-fathom, were boiled down into an intelli...more
This book was absolutely fantastic! The whole idea of the formation of the universe, and all of the extremely complex chemistry, physics, and things-I-can't-even-fathom, were boiled down into an intelli...more
Older Than the Stars explains the Big Bang Theory and evolution in a simple easy to read way for children. Her story connects the reader and all the plants and animals on the Earth to the beginning of time when the Big Bang created the the protons, neutrons and electrons that became the building blocks of all elements and life. You breathe the same oxygen the dinosaurs breathed. Your fingernails contain carbon that might have been part of a plant. She follows the format of “This is the House Tha...more
Older Than the Stars explains the formation of our universe, solar system, sun, planet, and humans themselves in language that children can understand. It is a clever, rhyming rendition along the lines of "This is the House that Jack Built." My children had it memorized after just a few readings. The book begins, "You are older than the dinosaurs. Older than the earth." I could see the eyes of the children light up after just these first two sentences.
The illustrations are bright and engaging ab...more
The illustrations are bright and engaging ab...more
Feb 16, 2012
Renee
added it
The “Big Bang” seems like an incredibly complicated thing and how would you ever explain it to a child simply? Well in Older Than the Stars Karen C. Fox does just that. Using bright pictures and snappy rhymes followed up by a concise narrative Fox boils the “Big Bang” and the creation of our solar system down so just about anyone can get the gist of what happened. She explains the creation of a star with, “This is the star of red-hot stuff that burst from the gas in a giant puff that spun from t...more
This is an attempt to help kids conceptualize the Big Bang theory and the elements of the universe, and it works for the most part. It starts with the bang when the world began and continues with the cumulative story. Sidebars give a more complete explanation of each event. The illustrations are bright, swirly, and vibrant and convey the sense of energy in the text. Unfortunately, while the font looks great, it's a bit hard to read. There is a "Timeline of the Universe" at the end and a glossary...more
I freaking LOVED this. It’s a “this is the house that Jack built”-style poem about the Big Bang Theory. Sounds off-putting, but I swear, it’s delightful. Works as a straight-up poem, but there are also text boxes on each page that go deeper into the science of cosmology. And the art is wonderful. Gorgeous, gorgeous book. I'm not sure how big the audience is for an odd-duck hybrid like this, but I hope there *is* an audience.
Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox and illustrated by Nancy Davis and illustrated by Nancy Davis uses the cumulative rhyming to teach children about the Big Bang Theory. I read it as part of my astronomy themed grad school project. It was the only Big Bang book I found for the 5 to 8 year old range.
The text is in two parts: a "House that Jack Built" style rhyme written into the illustrations and a block of typed text that elaborates on the introduced concepts. Children will learn about the uni...more
The text is in two parts: a "House that Jack Built" style rhyme written into the illustrations and a block of typed text that elaborates on the introduced concepts. Children will learn about the uni...more
This book talks about the big bang theory. It is informational, however it is in verse and is beautifully written. I have never read a book quite like it. I loved the illustrations and I would maybe use this when discussing the Big Bang Theory. It have a time line in the back that is very visual and it also has a wonderful glossary.
Picture book of the "Big Bang" theory and the start of the universe. A very complex topic, made a little easier to think about in this cumulative tale that also includes a few more facts on the topic. No real documentation about the facts presented, so I would need to look further. Interesting to ponder...
What a great explanation of the Big Bang theory. Written for young children but made some good sense to this non science-minded adult. Great illustrations and an emphasis on the idea that we are all made of some very old parts. What kid doesn't want to think they are breathing the same oxygen as the dinosaurs!
This cumulative tale about the formation of the universe is entertaining and makes a challenging topic accessible to young readers. The brightly colored, funky illustrations add visual interest and the sidebars offer detailed information about the science behind the story.
Repetitive "this is the house that jack built" type poem. The text was fun, informative, even a bit spiritual. We are made out of the same ingredients as everything else in the universe. Explained in a great way. I do wish there were more detailed illustrations.
Using a "This is the house that Jack built" pattern, combined with bleeding double-page spreads of brilliant color and inset boxes of accessible non-fiction text, this picture book explains the creation of the universe., Remarkably well.
I really enjoyed this one and so did my 3-year-old son. The poetry and illustrations are really fun. Each page also has a small explanation of the science. A mini history of the Universe, our solar system, Earth, and ourselves are all packed into this exciting book for kids.
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Beautiful illustrations, sing-songy text to the tune of "This is the House that Jack Built," and factual information in the side bars, this is a nice addition to a Cosmic Education bookshelf.
Elementary age intro to the big bang and terms such as carbon, helium, hydrogen, minerals, neutrons, particles, protons and the solor system. Poem form. Chaotic colorful illustrations.
WONDERFUL! A brilliant book about the beginning of the world and our connection to it. We borrowed it from the library by chance, and we will be getting it for our boys this Christmas!
The 'house that jack built' style just didn't work for me here. Found it confusing and the illustrations, while wonderful on their own, were distracting. Read June 19, 2012
Hooray for a cumulative book that makes the big bang theory accessible to kids, and grown ups as well. Glad they included the time line of the Universe and the Glossary.
An interesting cumulative story of the big bang, like this is the house that jack built. It is very simple, but would make a nice introduction before students delve deeper.
This is my favorite Big Bang book ever. It's lovely in language, story-telling, and art. Makes me feel so glad to be made of stardust.
Perfect picture book. Bold illustrations. Lyrical text. Informative sidebars. Beautifully designed.
Grade: 2-4
Topic: stars, formation of the universe
Topic: stars, formation of the universe
The Big Bang theory described a la The House That Jack Built.
This picture book about the Big Bang and the formation of the universe is a great introduction for elementary students. The author starts with the BANG and then describes how atoms were created and how stars (including our sun) and planets were formed. Bright illustrations interact whimsically with the text.
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/201...
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/201...
Grade: 2nd and 3rd
Topic: Stars and their patterns
Topic: Stars and their patterns
Nice cumulative story. Especially if you think the Big-Bang is how everything started.
May 17, 2013
Blanca Campillo
marked it as to-read
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