We, the Curious Ones
Candlewick, November 2023
Illustrated by Hari & Deepti
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Shimmering poetry and stunning cut-paper art portray epic concepts—the evolving biography of the universe and the symbiotic relationship between science and story.
Since the beginning, humans have created stories about the universe. From early mythology to modern-day science is a long journey, yet 95 percent of the world “out there” remains a mystery. What will we believe tomorrow? Marion Dane Bauer’s glowing poetry combines with Hari & Deepti’s intricate cut-paper illustrations, dazzling with light and shadow, to celebrate an active, vital, changing, and growing universe. They also show how we humans—the curious ones, the storytellers—are active, vital, changing, and growing, too. In a comprehensive afterword, the author tracks formative contributions to the study of the universe by Western and non-Western civilizations over the centuries.
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Reviews
With beautiful words and art, We, the Curious Ones pulls us into the endless loop of studying the worlds around us, telling stories about what we've seen, and asking the provocative questions that lead to further studies and further stories. It is a book to savor with your young ones, helping them appreciate that we scientists, whether paid or not, thrive on the curiosity that drives our understanding of the universe and our place in it. — Lawrence Rudnick, professor emeritus, University of Minnesota School of Physics and Astronomy
Tackling a wide-ranging history of thought about the universe, Bauer describes the transformation of stories that humans—“the curious ones”—tell about their surroundings. Once describing a flat world that rested on a turtle, humans’ tales change after those “who dare challenge/ even the stories/ we love” ask if the world might be not flat, but round. As generations pass, others ask whether the earth might revolve around the sun, leading to seemingly limitless concepts (“the universe is expanding”). Glittering with stars and pulsing with color and light, photographed dioramas constructed by married team Hari & Deepti convey a sense of limitless space that dwarfs the stylized, shadowy human figures who see themselves in constellations. The collaborators bring sweep and majesty to the concept of paradigmatic change, communicating the challenge and excitement in revolutionary new ways of thinking and telling. An afterword discusses the book’s roots in the idea of quantum gravity. Ages 6–9. - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Gr 1-4–Written in beautiful lyrical poetry, award-winning author Bauer presents a tale of human endeavor and history. This picture book tells the story of how the curiosity, questioning, and struggle of human beings has led to discovery and change. She begins with, “Birds sing. Bees dance. Wolves howl, ‘I am here! I am here!’ But we are the ones who tell stories.” These wonderful words are aptly paired with shimmering colors and intricate cut-paper artwork. This thought-provoking book takes readers on the journey from early mythology to modern science and ponders the symbiotic relationship between science and story. The poems come full circle, ending with, “Dogs bow. Prairie dogs kiss. Fireflies flash, ‘Come to Me! Come to Me!’ Trees talk to one another underground. And we, the curious ones, the ones who discover, tell stories.” When shared with young readers, these poems will spark discussion about the power of story and our part in the universe. Students will be encouraged to look at stories with new eyes, ask questions, and engage in thoughtful discussion that promotes higher-level thinking skills. Somewhat ¬reminiscent of the questioning response evoked in Oliver Jeffers’s Here We Are, Jon J Muth’s The Three Questions, and Kobi Yamada’s Noticing, this work might also be paired with Rebecca Lewis-Oakes’s STEAM title Mythical ¬Science. A -comprehensive afterword explores how early folktales described the universe and more. VERDICT A book of poems that asks philosophical questions to provoke thought, encourage curiosity, and inspire young readers with a new appreciation and understanding about the world around them.–Carole Phillips - School Library Journal
In this companion to her Coretta Scott King Award–winning The Stuff of Stars (2018), Bauer considers the intersection of science and story. Lyrical free verse begins with ancient peoples and the stories they told, such as a flat world built on the back of a turtle, to explain the astrophysics of Earth. The cerebral, deceptively simple picture book for readers of all ages continues with beliefs about the earth, the sun, and the expanding universe; how these beliefs evolved over time; and how people continue to question them. Despite our being in a vast universe full of darkness, there is still mystery, and the author asks in conclusion, “What will you discover? What stories will you tell?” Illustrators Hari & Deepti depict this wonder through the ages in luminous, layered scenes of human silhouettes observing changing skies. Their ethereal illustrations were rendered from backlit paper dioramas that were hand cut and painted. An afterword offers a brief history of early non-Western civilizations and influential scientists who shaped what we know about the universe today. — Angela Leeper - Booklist
Stories and science have long had a push-pull relationship.
Long ago, Bauer notes, humans told creation myths of a flat Earth that was physically held up by various entities, and the people loved their stories dearly. But there have always been those for whom loving a story isn’t enough—these are the curious ones who go deeper, question, and come to new conclusions. And so, human knowledge—the story we tell ourselves to explain the nature of our world—evolved to conceive of Earth as a round planet at the center of the universe, then as a planet near the center circling the grandest star, and finally as just one of many planets in a seemingly infinite universe. The gorgeous, dreamy, watercolor-like artwork—paper dioramas backlit and photographed—provides a celestial vibe to the background, while more solid human figures are silhouetted in the foreground (occasionally, character details hint at nonspecific time periods and places). The small font size works as a metaphor for how small humans are in the universe, but it falls short of being kid-friendly. The spare story text tends toward the abstract. Though the lengthy afterword is quite dense, its specificity is refreshingly concrete, as it offers a more accessible chronicle of human understanding on various cosmic topics.
An aesthetically beautiful book with complex content that positions it more toward the classroom. (Picture book. 7-10) - Kirkus
“We, the Curious Ones,” is a companion to Bauer’s award-winning “The Stuff of Stars.” The beauty of her words in this new book is enhanced by hand-cut-paper art by a husband-wife team who live in Mumbai. - St Paul Pioneer Press