Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  In Your Place in the Universe, Jason Chin starts with a group of kids, then gradually moves out into the farthest reaches of the universe.  In this book, he goes in the opposite direction, beginning with the smallest bird–a Calliope Hummingbird–landing on a girl’s hand, then moving to the hair on her skin, then to cells, DNA, atoms, and eventually to elementary particles.  From there, the journey continues back outward, inviting a sense of wonder that everything in the universe is made of the same molecules, yet combines in a way to make a unique human.  Includes additional information on the building blocks of matter, as well as an author’s note and a note about the illustrations.  40 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Another mind-blowing offering from last year’s Caldecott medalist, Jason Chin, with amazingly detailed illustrations, some of things that are too small to be seen with the human eye.  A contender for a Caldecott or Sibert, both of which Chin has already won.

Cons:  I’m more wowed by the larger universe to the subatomic one.