Sun! One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty - ESSENTIAL

Sun! One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis. Henry Holt and Company, 2018. $18. 9781250199324

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

This darling book is narrated by the Sun. The sun explains what it means to be a star, what it does for Earth, how far and how big it is, and hot it is. The sun uses statistics and comparisons, and well as jokes and a little bragging to explain who he is. 

The Sun as a narrator is the perfect balance of charming and informative. My kids kept pointing out when he was bragging, which I thought added to his charm because it was a play on the word “star”. The numbers used in this book are always presented in relative terms, making them very accessible, and I may have even learned a thing or two. This is more picture book than informational text, but it does contain a lot of great curriculum connections.    

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher