You are Stardust; Elin Kelsey and Soyeon Kim (illustrator)

 You are Stardust; Elin Kelsey and Soyean Kim

Owlkids Books - 2012

 
Elin Kelsey is not only the author of this book, but she is also an environmental scientist. Her love for the environment shines through in through in this book. Adult readers will be amazed at how well the author succeeds in explaining to younger children how very close our human connection is with nature.

For example, we see that people shed their hair much like trees shed their leaves, and how our life began with just a single atom, as was true for the lives of fish, dinosaurs and other living things. When we were very young, we learned to speak much the same way baby birds learn to sing -- we are taught by our family.

This book is lovely as well as educational. It teaches children how animals depend upon one another and it is a book that will make young children ask questions. Once children read this book (or have it read to them), they will want to learn more about how they are connected to nature and all that we have in common.

Soyean Kim's brightly colored dioramas are a combination of pen, pencil, ink and paper-cuts. They make for truly wonderful illustrations, that not only add interest, but also help little ones (K-2) better understand the world that surrounds them.

(5/5 stars) - Highly recommended especially for libraries and classrooms.

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