Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story : Book 1 (The Universe Series) (Sharing Nature With Children Book) [Paperback]

Jennifer Morgan (Author), Dana Lynne Andersen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2002 | Series: Sharing Nature With Children Book

Lots of people have gotten very excited about this book and its sequels. It succeeds at telling the amazing story of the universe and the creation of Earth with scientific accuracy but without diminishing the mystery and wonder. The three books together tell OUR STORY. As cosmologist and author Dr. Brian Swimme said: In the magic of this story . . . suddenly, we have the feeling that we BELONG. The second book is From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth Story. The final book is Mammals Who Morph: The Universe Tells Our Evolution Story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When returning from the Moon, I experienced directly and emotionally the personal connection to the Universe described by Jennifer Morgan." --Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut, author

From the Publisher

Winner of the 2003 Learning Magazine Teacher's Choice Award

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Dawn Pubns; 1 edition (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584690321
• ISBN-13: 978-1584690320
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 0.2 x 11.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When my son was six years old, I got hooked, I mean really hooked, on cosmology. . . the science of it and the emerging "new story" about where we come from. The writings of Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme, and Maria Montessori, among many others knocked me off my horse, igniting a passion for this work and providing a philosophical basis . . . while courses at Princeton University, as well as countless conversations with scientists who were so generous with their time, provided the scientific basis for my writing.

Naturally, my son (no longer six as you can see in the picture) had to hear about everything I was learning. I taught him through bedtime stories about hydrogen forming inside the big bang, stars igniting, supernovae forging the elements for life, and the birth of our sun and earth and humans out of star dust. He was fascinated too and would ask things like, "Mom, what's the texture of the edge of the universe?" These stories turned into an award-winning series with endorsements from renowned scientists in astro-physics, evolutionary biology and anthropology; educators; and religious leaders. They're now used in classrooms around the world, by adults who want to learn the essential science concepts, and for reflection on retreats. I give storytellings and programs for adults, children, and organizations and would love to hear from you! There's lots more information on my website at www.UniverseStories.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 99 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Insanely Brilliant! November 10, 2006

By David H Miller

Format:Hardcover

Jennifer Morgan is a brilliantly eccentric writer.

I read this book with my daughters when they were in kindergarten - I helped with the big words, of course, and with some of the scientific concepts. Morgan's unusual idea of introducing cosmology to young children by treating the origin and development of the universe as an autobiographical tale, narrated in first person by the Universe herself, actually works. The brilliantly colorful illustrations are a great complement to the text, and kids (and, I suspect, most adults) can acquire some serious knowledge while enjoying themselves by going through this book.

Most importantly, the book is startlingly accurate. It is all too tempting for children's authors to cut corners and present over-simplified half-truths when trying to explain serious science to young kids. Morgan avoids that trap.

I have a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Stanford, and I looked through the book carefully for any scientific errors.

I found none.

I do wish Morgan had discussed the "inflationary scenario," now generally favored by cosmologists, that suggests that the Big Bang was precipitated out of the frenetic expansion of a much larger super-universe. But, Morgan might reasonably object that the inflationary theory is still speculative, whereas the information she presents in this book is solidly established science.

Some parents might also object that treating the Universe as a person reeks too much of New Age nature-worship pantheism. Such a criticism would be unwarranted - Morgan, after all, knows that the Universe is not actually a human being, and even young readers should be able to see this as simply an engaging storytelling device. Any child who enjoys watching talking planes or a purple dinosaur on TV, while knowing that neither is real, can appreciate Morgan's narrative approach. This book should be of value to any family, regardless of religious or philosophical orientation, who possess a serious interest in science or nature.

The educational theorist Kieran Egan has argued that the best way to educate children is to center their education around grand stories. It is hard to imagine any story grander than the birth and development of the universe.

Our kids learn all sorts of stories in school and through popular culture. But too few of those stories serve one of the central needs of education - encouraging the student to transcend his own childish egocentrism and acquire a broader, transcendent perspective. To become an educated person, indeed to become a mature adult, requires such a perspective, but our society and our educational system too rarely nurture it, despite the fact that children are hungry for grand and exotic stories that transcend their own narrow lives.

It is all too easy to graduate even from a prestigious university in America with no comprehension of the stupendous discoveries human beings have made during the last hundred years concerning the nature of our universe.

That is horribly sad - we are depriving our children of grand and exciting truths.

Get "Born With a Bang" for your kids (or grandkids). It's a wonderful book. Jennifer Morgan did a great job.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From a cosmologist working in the field: this book is a *gem* October 15, 2006

By Mandeep Gill

Format:Hardcover

I'll preface this by saying that i'm an experimental cosmologist (working on weak gravitational lensing to determine galaxy cluster dark matter profiles) and have also worked in high energy particle physics, so i come at this book from a particular angle of having a fairly in-depth background of the subject matter.

Having said this, i want to *strongly applaud* this book, and would like to point out that of the several reviews given above, most are quite positive, and the only two highly negative ones are simply *missing the point* of the book -- it is *not* supposed to give anyone a detailed explanation of cosmology as we understand it scientifically today. there are plenty of other books to do that. rather -- this book is supposed to try to make some sense of what our current picture is in a much more organic, humane, emotional, spiritual, and yea, *cosmic* sense than most of the popular or scientific literature of cosmology out there today does.

For those familiar with Carl Sagan's work, and particularly "Cosmos" from the 1980's -- this is very much done in that vein, and i am pretty sure Carl would have heartily approved.

As a reader might gather from my words, i do *not* fit into the classical stereotype of scientist with a mechanistic, rational, Universe-as-clockwork type view that has been the primary paradigm in science since Cartesian times, but then, neither did Carl, and neither do more and more modern scientists. and Carl's manner of conveying science resonated with the public and inspired them likely more than *any* other modern physical scientist.

Further, i have thought deeply about the human aspects of science also in my journey along the scientific path, and it's clear to me that the paradigm one uses to describe whatever our scientific picture of the Universe and how it came into being and how it evolved up until today is, at any given time in human history, is critical in how we approach not only science, but every aspect of our lives, from our interactions with Nature, to how we treat non-human animals, to our picture of and dealings with others of our own species. when it comes down to it, how we picture the non-living aspects of our Universe and its whole history, *matters*, a lot.

And i love the way that J. Morgan and D. Andersen picture it in this book (and i also hope to communicate directly with them sometime). i love how they interpret and explain their understanding of everything from the Big Bang itself, and what came "before", to the limitations in our current picture of cosmology, to the specific aspects of BBN (Big Bang Nucleosynthesis), initial star formation, galaxy evolution, and supernova processes, leading ultimately to *us*.

No, this is not going to appeal to every scientist out there, nor every person -- but i would suggest this is from not a lack in the *book*, but from some measure of the imagination needed in our species and society to evolve to a more mature species in our wondrous Universe.

Also, the glossary, more detailed cosmic timeline history, book references, and quotes from working scientists in the back are also quite appreciated and helpful to point people in good directions for more in-depth understanding and further reading.

There could be much more said about many of these topics, but let me simply close by saying that i came across this book while dropping in on a sustainability conference of a local environmental group in my area, and the title intrigued me enough to start paging through it. and even after realizing it was a children's book, the flow of the words and the wonderful evocative paintings drew me in to continue reading it. and it is a *rare* book or paper on cosmology (and believe me, i have occasion to read a good number) that brings tears to my eyes with their beauty and power to stir the soul, as certain lines in this book did.

In Adventure-

MSSG

(ps. any feedback is welcomed!)

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars "Fruity" mixed with good science March 16, 2007

By M. Eberle

Format:Paperback

I didn't realize what people meant by refering to this book as "New Age" - basically the "Universe" is narrating the story and "dreams" of people and trees and planets. The timeline and discription of big bang and star life cycles is great - but I am uncomfortable with the "wishes" and "dreams" and "feelings" of a universe.

I was looking for an age appropriate book to explain the formation of the universe to my 5 year old - and it has captured his imagination. As an atheist trying to build a good basis of science over superstition, I felt that the narration was over the top, when the science is way cool and didn't need the whole dream/wish/creator overtones.