Look Up With Me

Neil deGrasse Tyson:
A Life Among the Stars

Katherine Tegen Books
(HarperCollins Publishers)
(pub. 2.5.2019) 
40 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor:  Jennifer Berne

 and illustrator: Lorraine Nam
 
C haracter: Neil deGrasse

O verview: 
     "Neil deGrasse Tyson was born curious. And the secrets of a billion galaxies lay there - waiting for him to explore their cosmic mysteries. He just had to look up.
     Up beyond the city lights,
         up at the shining stars,
             up through the Milky Way
                 and past the veil of the night sky.
  
Follow young Neil's journey as he discovers the wonders of space, the thrill of science, and the joy in sharing the beauty of our amazing universe."

T antalizing taste: 
     "One day, Neil went to New York City's famous Hayden Planetarium.
     As he sat beneath the high arc of the theater, out went the lights and ...
     Neil's mind was launched ... into outer space.
     In a single instant, his world expanded a hundred times, a thousand times, even more.
     Projected on the huge dome above his head was the night sky with countless thousands of stars.
     A gigantic spectacular, beautiful cosmos Neil never knew existed.
     And in that moment, his life was changed forever."


And something more: Jennifer Berne's Author's Note includes a wonderful small world story: "Twelve years ago, when I was just beginning my book-writing career, I sent a package [of my manuscripts] to one of my inspirational heroes, Neil deGrasse Tyson.
     "A few weeks later, I received ... a response from Neil! His letter thanked me for sharing my passions with him and was wonderfully encouraging and complimentary... At the same time, he was cautiously realistic asking, 'Have you collected your forty rejection letters yet? I don't know why, but it seems to be a rite of passage'... Well, he was right. I did get my stories published - but not without collecting a folder of rejection letters first... 
     "Then, in 2017, in a wonderful turn of events, things began to come full circle. HarperCollins publisher Katherine Tegen and editor Mabel Hsu [asked me to write a book] about Neil deGrasse Tyson... I couldn't say yes fast enough!"

     LOOK UP WITH ME includes an Introduction written by Neil DeGrasse Tyson which says, in part, "I've felt like a kid my entire life. Why? Because I'm a scientist. Scientists are kids who never lost their natural childhood curiosity about the world... So even as you grow older, never stop being a kid. This will guarantee that the world - even the universe itself - becomes and remains your playground of curiosity."