Clouds in Space - Perfect Picture Book Friday

So what about those distant clouds we see in the night sky? What are they, anyway?

This lyrically-written and playfully-illustrated book answers those questions and more!

Text ©Teresa Robeson Illus. ©Diāna Renžina

WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?
When you look up after sunset
—to count the stars,
glimpse a glancing meteor,
or marvel at the moon—

there are things you can't clearly see
suspended in the cosmos
beyond the dark curtain of night.

WHAT'S OUT THERE?
It's...

Do you want an answer? The playful way it’s delivered (the character Nebula as tour guide) on the following spread will delight and surprise all those small eyes waiting for the page turn, setting the tone for the rest of the book.

Nebula compares the differences between clouds and nebulae, saying (cheekily) that they’re similar in the ways that “third cousins are similar.” In other words, yes, there are similarities, but the differences are huge! The next nine spreads are a fabulous study in the compare/contrast format.

But then Nebula’s tour takes an expansive turn, describing how nebulae are both “the stardust and the nursery” that has created us.

That’s Nebula, the engaging narrator, in the righthand corner of the spread. Notice how the illustrator wove chemical elements into the ribbon that undulates through the starlit nebula in the upper left. Love, love, love the art in this book!

A few spreads later, the illustration shows the PLEIADES (the seven sisters), the narrative leading off with one of my favorite lines in the text: “We are a family forged in fire, separated by space and time.” And ending with how we’re all connected in this vast universe. Ooooh, it gives me shivers!

The final spread invites kids to look up, whisper Nebula’s name, and watch her waving back. I’d love to read this book to a group of kids on a camping trip and then finish with some star-gazing.

Back matter describes the discovery of nebulae, how they form, and a description of the different types. There’s also a spread that identifies the “CAST in order of appearance” in the earlier illustrations, plus a few more not shown in the story.

A fabulous book to spark kids’ curiosity, get them to look up and wonder, and to show how we’re all connected via stardust.

Activities:

Check out the James Webb space telescope Image Gallery. It’s sure to get some ooohs and ahhhs.

Check out the author’s resource page: https://www.teresarobeson.com/educator-resources1.html

Create your own nebulae paintings, using this video from the UK National Space Center.

Create nebulae made from hot wax, using instructions from the Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco, funded by NASA’s Universe of Learning. Download the instructions below:

UoL-ILN-Childrens-Touch-Universe-1Hot-Wax-Nebula-activity-guide Download