You Are Stardust

People are nature. From the water we drink to the trees we climb, we are connected to the natural world in big and surprising ways. With simple, poetic text, and exquisite artwork, You Are Stardust introduces kids to these connections - sparking their imaginations and starting conversations. Combining the ideas of environmental author and educator Elin Kelsey with inventive, three-dimensional dioramas by artist Soyeon Kim, this remarkable picture book reveals ties that are often sensed, yet seldom explained. Children will learn that the salt in their body is the same as the salt in the ocean, that they learned to speak in the same way that baby birds do - by copying their parents, and that elephants, bats and whales make friends, just like they do. In a world dominated by technology, never have these connections between people and nature been more worth exploring.

The perfect story for anyone who’s ever felt overshadowed. One little girl dreams of being a star. But whether it's finding Mom's lost wedding ring or winning the costume prize, her big sister always shines brighter. In her grandfather’s eyes, though, she is a star. As he dries her tears and they both gaze up at the night sky, he tells a story about how everything and everyone is made of stardust and we all shine in different ways. With illustrations from new talent Briony May Smith, this is a touching story about being true to yourself from award-winning author Jeanne Willis.

“The dazzling clutch of scientific minds caught in mid-thought here makes for a read that provokes thought in its turn. Delights abound.” —Nature “What distinguishes scientists, in your eyes?” —Stefan Klein “First and foremost, curiosity.” —Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Prize–winning chemist When Stefan Klein, an acclaimed journalist, sits down to talk with 18 of the world’s leading scientists, he finds they’re driven by, above all, curiosity. When they talk about their work, they turn to what’s next, to what they still hope to discover. And they see inspiration everywhere: From the sports car that physicist Steven Weinberg says helped him on his quest for “the theory of everything” to the jazz musicians who gave psychologist Alison Gopnik new insight into raising children, they reveal how their paradigm-changing work entwines with their lives outside the lab. We hear from extraordinary natural and social scientists, including: Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on ego and selflessness Primatologist Jane Goodall on chimpanzee behavior Neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran on consciousness Geographer Jared Diamond on chance in history Anthropologist Sarah Hrdy on motherhood And cosmologist Martin Rees on how “ultimately we ourselves are stardust.” “[Klein’s] interview subjects explain their science clearly and display their passions vividly, making this an engaging introduction to a great breadth of scientific topics.” —American Scientist “A very welcome volume that will expose readers to all manner of topics that are likely new to them in a manner that focuses first on the lively personalities of the scientists while slowly diving into their work. Surprises abound . . . and the book’s diversionary aspect cannot be overrated. Truly enjoyable.” —Booklist

In this tender-hearted debut, set against the tumultuous backdrop of life in 1973, when homosexuality is still considered a mental illness, two boys defy all the odds and fall in love. The year is 1973. The Watergate hearings are in full swing. The Vietnam War is still raging. And homosexuality is still officially considered a mental illness. In the midst of these trying times is sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins, a bullied, anxious, asthmatic kid, who aside from an alcoholic father and his sympathetic neighbor and friend Starla, is completely alone. To cope, Jonathan escapes to the safe haven of his imagination, where his hero David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother, guide him through the rough terrain of his life. In his alternate reality, Jonathan can be anything: a superhero, an astronaut, Ziggy Stardust, himself, or completely "normal" and not a boy who likes other boys. When he completes his treatments, he will be normal--at least he hopes. But before that can happen, Web stumbles into his life. Web is everything Jonathan wishes he could be: fearless, fearsome and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay. Jonathan doesn't want to like brooding Web, who has secrets all his own. Jonathan wants nothing more than to be "fixed" once and for all. But he's drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he's perfect. Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known. For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is. A poignant coming-of-age tale, Ziggy, Stardust and Me heralds the arrival of a stunning and important new voice in YA.

'A promising debut.' New Scientist Icy, rocky, sometimes dusty, always mysterious – comets and asteroids are among the Solar System's very oldest inhabitants, formed within a swirling cloud of gas and dust in the area of space that eventually hosted the Sun and its planets. Locked within each of these extra-terrestrial objects is the 4.6-billion-year wisdom of Solar System events, and by studying them at close quarters using spacecraft we can coerce them into revealing their closely-guarded secrets. This offers us the chance to answer some fundamental questions about our planet and its inhabitants. Exploring comets and asteroids also allows us to shape the story of Earth's future, enabling us to protect our precious planet from the threat of a catastrophic impact from space, and maybe to even recover valuable raw materials from them. This cosmic bounty could be as useful in space as it is on Earth, providing the necessary fuel and supplies for humans as they voyage into deep space to explore more distant locations within the Solar System. Catching Stardust tells the story of these enigmatic celestial objects, revealing how scientists are using them to help understand a crucial time in our history – the birth of the Solar System, and everything contained within it.

The acclaimed, bestselling author of The Good German and Los Alamos returns with his most absorbing and accomplished novel yet—a mesmerizing tale of Hollywood, postwar political intrigue, and one man's determination to learn the truth about his brother's death. Hollywood, 1945. Ben Collier has just arrived from war-torn Europe to find his brother has died in mysterious circumstances. Why would a man with a beautiful wife, a successful movie career, and a heroic past choose to kill himself? Ben enters the uneasy world beneath the glossy shine of the movie business, where politics and the dream factories collide and Communist witch hunts are rendering the biggest star makers vulnerable. Even here, where the devastation of Europe seems no more real than a painted movie set, the war casts long and dangerous shadows. When Ben learns troubling facts about his own family’s past and embarks on a love affair that never should have happened, he is caught in a web of deception that shakes his moral foundation to its core. Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Stardust flawlessly blends fact and fiction into a haunting thriller evoking both the glory days of the movies and the emergence of a dark strain of American political life.

From Charles Vess’s personal archive, a breathtaking collection of his illustrations, from sketches to stunning paintings, for the acclaimed masterwork written by Neil Gaiman. Includes an exclusive introduction from Neil Gaiman. An elegant and lavish coffee table book revealing the origins, processes, and brilliant final paintings produced for the award-winning fantasy novel Stardust written by Neil Gaiman. From the moment Gaiman asked Vess to join him on the project, through the layouts, concept illustrations, pen-and-ink drawings, and breath-taking paintings—printed in an oversized format and including works from before they were adjusted to fit the text. Includes work for all of the different editions, and even the ultra-rare portfolio A Fall of Stardust with contributions from many famous cartoonists and illustrators including Mike Mignola (Hellboy), William Stout, Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), and Sergio Aragones (Mad).

A lyrical and scientific exploration of the ways humans are supported by nature