There comes a time when agreeing to post the occasional book jacket on your blog pays off huge dividends. Not monetarily, of course, but from the perspective of quality. When I was asked if I’d have any objection to premiering the cover of the latest Marion Dane Bauer book with art but none other than Ekua Holmes I leapt at the opportunity. Holmes is one of those artists that appears to get better and better as the years go by. But this latest book jacket is so good that I’m beginning to wonder if my luck in these matters is going to run out soon. You have not, you CAN not, have seen anything this pretty for 2018 yet.

Feast your eyes on this:

Curious? Who wouldn’t be? Particularly as you won’t see this book on Amazon or Baker & Taylor yet. Well, here’s the deal then.

It’s a Candlewick Press title coming out September 11th. Karen Walsh best described it this way:

“It’s a vivid, stirring blend of science and art, capturing the moment when our universe was born and the ensuing life that burst across the galaxies. AS you know, Ekua is a rising star on the picture book scene. VOICE OF FREEDOM launched her with a bang, and OUT OF WONDER made an equal splash. With STUFF OF STARS, Ekua is trying out a new art technique; she made the paper she used, and the spreads have an evocative, grand scale we haven’t yet seen from her. The book works as both a new baby book, connecting the birth and milestones of a baby with the wonder of the natural world (in this way it reminds me of ON THE DAY YOU WERE BORN by Debra Frasier) but it’s also a wonderful, visual introduction to the concept of the big bang.”

I’ll just repeat one part there. SHE MADE THE PAPER.

Isn’t it nice when you can predict Caldecott 2019 so early in the year?