The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe by Sandra Nickel. Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. 48 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers/ Abrams, March 2, 2021. 9782419736261. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)
Who's to say what might spark (or extinguish) a dream? A chance comment might, or perhaps the physical limitations of a room. Vera Cooper always liked looking at the night sky. When she was eleven, her family moved and her bedroom was so small that all she could do was look up. And, look up she did. She lay in bed and watched the stars travel across the window pane and disappear. Soon she was studying star maps. She even made her own telescope out of cardboard and a lens. When her parents thought she was asleep, she was observing and memorizing the night sky so that she could map their paths in the morning.
From an early age, she resisted naysayers, especially when they tried to dissuade her from pursuing astronomy, a so-called, "man's world." She graduated from Vassar as the only astronomy major in her class. (Vassar was all-women back then.) She married a mathematician named Robert Rubin and, as her family grew, she continued to study, earning first a master's degree and eventually a PhD.
All along the way, she had to confront sexism, from a lack of bathrooms to hearing outright ridicule of her ideas. Nevertheless, she persisted and eventually, others listened to her theory that stars only consisted of a fraction of the universe and that dark matter was what made the stars move.
The text focuses on Dr. Rubin's curiosity and resilience and presents complicated ideas in an accessible manner. The bold watercolor, ink and charcoal pencil illustrations complement the writing beautifully. Back matter includes an author's note, timeline, notes and selected bibliography making this a terrific addition to my picture book biography unit.
A good picture book biography will motivate curious readers to learn more and this one certainly does. Shortly after I read this book, I happened to listen to Dr. Emily Lavesque being interviewed about her book on telescopes on NPR. She happened to mention a telescope that was named for Vera Rubin. Further reading revealed that Dr. Rubin was a role model for Dr. Levesque as well as other prominent female astronomers. I also learned that Dr. Rubin was inspired by a professor at Vassar, Maria Mitchell! Last year, I read, but didn't get a chance to review What Miss Mitchell Saw.
The Stuff Between the Stars is a fantastic STEM title that belongs in all school and classroom libraries, not only for budding astronomers and dreamers but as a fine model of persistence and resilience.
Author Sandra Nickel says that story ideas are everywhere; you just have to reach out and grab them. She holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her first book, Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack, was a Golden Kite Award finalist. Sandra lives in Chexbres, Switzerland, where she blogs about children’s book writers and illustrators at whatwason.com. To learn more, visit https://sandranickel.com/.
Twitter: @senickel
Facebook: @sandranickelbooks
Instagram: @sandranickelbooks
Aimée Sicuro is an illustrator, picture book maker, and surface pattern designer who received a BFA in Illustration from Columbus College of Art and Design. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and young sons. Visit her website to learn more.
Twitter: @aimeesicuro
Instagram: @aimeesicuro
Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC1KGw4aNuk
No comments:
Post a Comment