Once Upon a Star: A Poetic Journey through Space by James Carter (review)

When children ponder, or are urged to ponder, the Big Question of "Where did everything come from?" adults largely have the choice of turning to religion or science for an answer. Going with science here, Carter delivers his mini lesson on the Big Bang, cosmic formation, and the coalescence of stardust in gently unreeling, rhyme-sprinkled verse that has the soothing cadence of a bedtime story ("Once upon a star,/there were no stars to shine—/no sun to rise,/no sun to set,/no day, no night,/nor any time"). There are necessarily gaping chasms between points of information that adult readers lacking astrophysics degrees may be challenged to fill, and for them the "Sciency Stuff" addendum may prove helpful. The main point, though, is encouraging a sense of wonder at the vastness of the universe around us and the immensity of time left behind us. Dusty-hued double bleeds move the imagined genesis of "EVERYTHING!" from amorphous squiggles and shapes, through an elliptical gathering of multi-sized spots, to a standard planet chart of our solar system, and onward to a stylized landscape in which two children enjoy a world enabled by sunlight. However, the specifics of how "We're made of stardust,/yes, we are" will probably have to wait for another day. EB