“A gentle, lyrical introduction to big science ideas just right for most collections.”

Relayed in the second-person perspective, this narrative nonfiction picture book by Slade directly addresses young readers, succinctly describing some of the universe’s workings. Light on supplemental facts, Slade focuses more on crafting a nature- and space-themed bedtime story, with bolded, emphatic typography throughout: “And when you wake,/ all the galaxies in the universe,/ all the stars in the Milky Way,/ and all the planets in the solar system// are still moving,/ circling,/ and swirling,” one spread reads, featuring a stippled approximation of space. Coleman further fashions child-friendly illustrations, centering a brown-skinned, curly brown–haired child in their bed. A slim tale of the cosmos offers a brief, poetic nighttime journey. Back matter includes a spread with additional facts about the solar system.

While “you” sleep, the Earth spins and travels through space. After a wordless spread showing the Earth in deep space, the story cuts to a brown-skinned child with puffy hair in bed hugging a stuffed astronaut toy. The bedroom is decorated in a planetary theme, and a caregiver smiles over the child as “Daylight dims. / Darkness tiptoes in. / You’re tucked in tight / for a warm, cozy night.” The next spread shows the house from the outside, with the starry night behind it, and the text zooms out as well, to the spinning of the Earth. As the pages turn, the Earth circles our sun, our sun swirls around the Milky Way, and the universe expands. Throughout these spreads, the universe is related to the child with reminders that all of this activity happens “while you still sleep, / dreaming even bigger dreams.” Finally, the sun peeks above the horizon, warming the Earth’s creatures, and “you” stir and rise, ready to play. Nicely textured, layered illustrations give an almost 3-D feel to the Earth floating in deep space. The text is composed of succinct verse that, from the beginning, effortlessly conveys the magical bedtime tone, though it ends on a relatively active note. Cozy, thought-provoking, and hypnotizing, this poetic pleaser will pair well with other soothing bedtime books but can also be read and discussed during an active time of day. Lovely and versatile.