A Celebration That Lasts
Having a new book making its appearance in the world is always exciting, and The Stuff of Stars is creating more excitement than usual. Especially for me.My most recent book had its birthday on September 5th and the days surrounding that have been thrilling. As of this writing, The Stuff of Stars, a picture book, has received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal. (A starred review marks a book as one of the best of the season.) And, last I checked, it had a five-star rating at Amazon, and GoodReads had come in at 4.49.One of the responses that satisfies me most, though, came in an email from an earth scientist who was thrilled with its accuracy. I won’t say that I was surprised. I worked very hard, read very hard, thought very hard to achieve scientific accuracy, nonscientist that I am. When I take technical information and condense it to its absolute basics, the possibilities of skewing the information are nearly endless. Especially in so complex a field and one that is growing and changing every day.I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief … before returning to the celebration.All this celebration, though, is temporary. In a few months even I will forget the rush of these early days. The best thing about seeing my words—and Ekua Holmes' magnificent art—appear in book form is knowing they are here to stay.
For a long while The Stuff of Stars will be touching lives.All books touch for a moment. Some stay for a long time.The good folks who manage my website, Winding Oak, have come up with a brilliant idea for a way this small book can go on making a difference. An idea I never would have thought of. And it’s perfect.The Stuff of Stars is a celebration of birth, the birth of our universe, the birth of our planet, the birth of each child. Winding Oak has proposed that the book be used not just to welcome a new baby into the world but as a core part of that child’s yearly birthday celebration.The book can be opened to its gorgeous swirling endpapers, part of Ekua’s design created from her own handmade paper, and the baby’s photo—perhaps even an ultrasound photo—or a photo of those who love the baby can be pasted inside the front cover to become a permanent part of the book.
Then, when each birthday rolls around, someone can read the book to the child, a photo can be taken of the reading, and that can be pasted in, too!Imagine the memories created by such repeated, quiet, exquisitely celebratory reading moments. Imagine the life-long memento the book will come to be!When I think of my small effort becoming part of a child’s, a person’s life … well!The warmth of that idea will stay with me for a long, long time.To see more about using The Stuff of Stars as a part of a yearly celebration go to the resources on my website.And start your own birthday tradition with a loved child.