The Universe and You

K-Gr 2–A brown-skinned, curly-haired little girl is being tucked into bed. She’s clearly enamored of everything about outer space, as evidenced by her planet rug, rocket lamp, and astronaut plushie. Rhythmic text centers the girl in her bed on the gently spinning earth as the text moves from the earth’s rotation, to other planets in our solar system orbiting the sun, to all the stars in the Milky Way, to the ever-expanding universe. The font changes to emphasize significant words, such as earth, daylight, darkness, and galaxy. The concepts are basic and accessible, building an introductory understanding of the position of our planet in space, while always connecting back to all of the plants, animals, and people at the center. The illustrations provide an effective, but not overwhelming, impression of the vastness of the cosmos. The book will work well at bedtime, as children may imagine that they too can feel the gentle rotation of the earth as they drift off. Back matter includes additional informational content about the solar system.