Fact Friday: I'm a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe by Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis and illustrated by Ilze Lemesis

Image: Candlewick Press

I'm a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe by Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis and illustrated by Ilze Lemesis. 40 p. Meet the Universe Series. MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press, March 22, 2022. 9781536222074. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.

Fact Friday features I'm a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe by Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis and illustrated by Ilze Lemesis. Do you ever contemplate the universe and feel very small? It seems so huge, so vast, so incomprehensible. No wonder ancient peoples were inspired to spin tales. Scientific discovery is no less fascinating than mythology. What is sort of startling is contemplation of the reverse-the microscopic "universe." It seems just as large and awe-inspiring. Being small does not mean being unimportant. Neutrinos are so tiny we neither see them nor measure them, but scientists know they are all around us and our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy is comprised of trillions upon trillions of them. 

Dr. Vavagiakis is a physicist and she explains the importance of neutrinos in pleasing rhyme from a mischievous neutrino's POV. Digitally created images add to the fun and help budding scientists imagine these teensy, yet important building blocks of the universe. Back matter contains thumbnails of each spread with further explanation. 

This is definitely a picture book that can span the age groups and serve as an effective impressionistic lesson in a variety of science classes! It is beguiling and one I find myself returning to reread.