Picture Book Review: The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe by Sandra Nickel

Image: Abrams

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.

Image: Courtesy of Blue Slip Media

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. 

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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

Fact Friday: Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis with photographs by Amanda Cowan. 80 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, December, 2019. 9781328770967. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! Skies were clear last night, but I didn't see any sign of the aurora borealis. Bummer. Maybe some day. Let's turn our attention from the night sky to daylight. Fact Friday features Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis with photographs by Amanda Cowan. Many of you know of my love for the Scientist in the Field series. Each well-researched book highlights the work of a scientific specialty with vivid writing and spectacular photographs and this book is a worthy addition to any collection.

Shadia Habbal is an astronomer and solar physicist. She and her team travel the world in order to study solar eclipses. It's expensive to haul around the many computers, cameras and other equipment necessary to record eclipses. Sometimes the weather or other conditions do not cooperate. It might be too cloudy to see the eclipse or, in the case of one trip, wind kicked the desert sands up so much, visibility was decreased. Most of the book describes the team's work during the eclipse of August, 2017. Not only does Ms. Loomis vividly describe the actual eclipse, she also eloquently depicts the teamwork and collaboration on the part of the team.

There will be a full solar eclipse on December 14, but unless you're traveling to southern Africa, South America or Antarctica, you won't be able to view it. The next eclipse that will be viewable to those of us in North America will be on June 10, 2021. In the meanwhile, get your hands on this book to learn all about the work of the scientists who study the sun.