A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054

An astronomer’s young daughter watches in wonder as a bright light appears in the sky. At night, this “guest star” shines brighter than all of the other stars, but, over time, the star fades. In fact, it is not a star at all, but the light of a supernova. A cloud of gas and dust, known as a nebula, begins to form and grow where the supernova once was.

Centuries later, with the invention of the telescope, astronomers are able to see objects in deep space and to determine that the supernova appeared around the year 1054. Its starry remains formed what is now called the Crab Nebula which continues to increase in size to this day.
The poetic language of the fiction portion of A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054 serves to pique the audience’s interest. One can imagine a young girl gazing up into the heavens and wondering if only the people in her part of the world are privy to this amazing phenomenon, the “guest star”. The text then segues into the fact portion of the book about star blasts and the creation of the Crab Nebula and comes full circle to invite readers to wonder “What worlds will grow from this seed of light that shines brighter than all the stars?” At the back of the book, there is more information about supernovas, Supernova 1054 and the Crab Nebula.
Though the beginning of the book is quite captivating, some of the concepts in the book might be confusing to the target audience. For example, what, exactly, are “starry remains” and how do they become “part of new worlds and new life yet to be”? How do these remains become part of humans?

The watercolour and ink illustrations work in tandem with the text but are rather lifeless and lack depth. With swirling movements and a starlit sky, Eshet seemingly pays homage to Van Gogh’s Starry Night in a double-page spread at the end of the story. In keeping with the book’s theme, the end papers depict a blanket of stars.

Worthy of purchase, A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054 is likely to inspire in readers a sense of awe and wonder for the beauty and vastness of the universe.