The Boy Whose Head Was Filled with Stars: A Life of Edwin Hubble

This is the story of Edwin Hubble a boy fascinated by the stars who surmounted many hurdles to follow his dreams of becoming an astronomer. Using the insights of great mathematicians and endlessly observing the sky he succeeded in confirming two things that altered human life forever: that there are more galaxies than our own and that the universe is always expanding. Hubble’s message to us is to find peace in the vastness of the mystery surrounding us and to be curious. “We do now know why we are born into the world” he said “but we can try to find out what sort of world it is.” Review Marinov and Marcero pair up to create this visually striking biography of astronomer Edwin Hubble whose insatiable curiosity led to groundbreaking discoveries about the cosmos in the early 20th century. Straightforward storytelling details young Hubble’s early obsession with the sky throughout his Missouri childhood and first career as a teacher and basketball coach then his transition into astronomy while mixed-media illustrations evoke the immenseness of the universe in compositions including an impressive gatefold that emphasize star-studded skies. Paneled vignettes pace the story while diagrams and maps extend the narrative and illustrate astrophysical phenomena (e.g. a lunar eclipse). Back matter including author and illustrator notes and a brief biography further explains Hubble’s major contributions to astronomy―helping show the universe’s sprawling size and adding evidence to the theory that it’s expanding―concluding a book that should spark the imagination of young sky-watchers while introducing the scientist for whom a modern space telescope is named. ― STARRED REVIEW Publishers WeeklyThis biography of astronomer Edwin Hubble once a boy looking up at the night sky is a tribute to his life’s work and the joys of staying curious...After his father’s death he followed his dreams worked at Mount Wilson Observatory studied galaxies and proved both that the universe is much bigger than was previously thought―depicted in a striking double gatefold―and that it is expanding. The spreads featuring sprawling night skies dotted with stars are especially beguiling. And the book’s lovely pacing affords ample space to pay tribute to the sense of wonder that guided Hubble throughout his life the repeated refrain being a set of three questions printed in silver type that haunted him: “How many stars are in the sky? How did the universe begin? Where did it come from?” The portion of the book about his discovery that the Andromeda Nebula is a separate galaxy gives credit where it’s due paying tribute to Henrietta Swan Leavitt an astronomer whose work came before Hubble’s. The story’s concluding direct address to readers―“Look….Look up at the stars”―is genuinely inspiring. Lively and wondrous―readers will be star-struck. ―STARRED REVIEW Kirkus“The cyclical nature of many scientific phenomena provides writers with ready-made narrative structures but a human life story can be tricky to handle in a picture book: What to include what to leave out when you have so few words and pages? In “The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars” Isabelle Marinov and Deborah Marcero get it just right. Edwin Hubble is a colossal figure in astronomy. His research proved that the Milky Way is just one among an infinite number of galaxies. He’s difficult to summarize. Beginning with the words “Edwin was a curious boy” Marinov succeeds in distilling Hubble’s life to the essence of youthful curiosity bringing readers back time and again to the three key questions to which he sought answers: “How many stars are in the sky? How did the universe begin? Where did it come from?” (themselves typeset in a glimmering silver foil). Marcero’s tender illustrations remind readers on every page that the experience of looking at a dark starry sky shaped Edwin’s life.” ―The New York Times About the Author