''Starry Messenger'', about

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He wa ...

, is a

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person young ...

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

that was written and illustrated by

Peter Sís Peter Sís (born Petr Sís; May 11, 1949) is a Czech-born American illustrator and writer of children's books. As a cartoonist his editorial illustrations have appeared in ''Time'', ''Newsweek'', ''Esquire'', and ''The Atlantic Monthly''. For his ...

. And designed by art director, Lilian Rosenstreich in 1996. It is a 1997

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

book. Through the use of his illustrations, Peter Sis documents different stages of life of the widely acknowledged scientist Galileo Galilei.

Plot

''Starry Messenger'', written and illustrated by Peter Sís, documents the life of the acclaimed scientist

. Told from third person point of view and dating back to his birth, Sís walks the reader through the events that shape the life of the recognized scientist, mathematician, philosopher, and physicist, Galileo Galilei. The book opens with a prelude, with careful illustrations, Peter Sís sets the stage for the story by laying the groundwork of what the world was like during Galileo's era; scientifically, and religiously. He introduces the reader to the then accepted ideology of the

Ptolemaic system In astronomy, the geocentric model (also known as geocentrism, often exemplified specifically by the Ptolemaic system) is a superseded description of the Universe with Earth at the center. Under most geocentric models, the Sun, Moon, stars, an ...

, which stated that the Earth was the center of the

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

. Sís describes Galileo as a boy "born with stars in his eyes", this metaphor will run throughout the length of the story connecting prominent events that occur within Galileo's life, including life as a child, a scholar, and later a scientist. Inter sped with Sís's original illustrations are excerpts of Galileo's actual drawings and excerpts of his ''

Starry Messenger ''Sidereus Nuncius'' (usually ''Sidereal Messenger'', also ''Starry Messenger'' or ''Sidereal Message'') is a short astronomical treatise (or ''pamphlet'') published in New Latin by Galileo Galilei on March 13, 1610. It was the first published ...

'' which documents Galileo's astronomical discoveries and observations especially the Copernican theory which got him in trouble with the Vatican Church. From being celebrated for his other astronomical discoveries to the controversial Copernican theory, Peter Sís documents these events with intricate illustrations that vividly resemble Galileo's own, adding depth to the story. The peak of the story occurs when Galileo's Copernican Theory reaches the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, and Galileo is viewed in negative light and criticism. Upon Galileo's summoning to the Vatican Church, he was forced to retract his earlier statements that contradicted with the ideologies of the Vatican Church regarding the placement of the Earth, or risk death. Galileo chose to retract his statements and was confined to house arrest for eight years before his death in 1642. The book ends on a positive note when Sís writes about the Pardon that was issued to Galileo more than three hundred years later in October 1992.

Critical reception

Peter Sís's documentation of the acclaimed scientist, Galileo Galileo's life received positive reviews from: '' Kirkus Reviews'', ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' and more. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' had a section dedicated to the book praising Sis's book, Elizabeth Spires writes, "The story of Galileo is not about a larger-than-life hero, but of someone understandably human." She also writes, "in creating this original and exquisite book, affirms the power of one individual to change our ideas about the universe we live in." The reviews commentate Pete Sis's achievements in portraying Galileo's life with "stellar illustrations" and interweaving some of Galileo's original content from his acclaimed, ''

''.

References

* * * * * {{Galileo Galilei 1996 children's books American picture books Novels set in Italy Novels set in the 17th century Caldecott Honor-winning works Cultural depictions of Galileo Galilei Children's history books Children's books set in Italy Children's books set in the 17th century