Here are 82 books that First Light, First Life fans have personally recommended if you like
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My expertise on the origins of our universe comes out of fascination, nothing more. I am a long-time children’s writer who began my approach to this topic with awe. Just awe. In order to write The Stuff of Stars I read widely to expand my own understanding. A single line in this text can come out of hours of reading. The books I’m suggesting here, though, are not the scientific ones that informed my telling. Rather, I have searched out books that are exceptionally creative, accessible, interesting. Some are for the very young and some for those who share their learning with the very young.
The Mysteries of the Universe doesn’t focus on our Earth but rather on what we see when we look out from Earth. It takes on fascinating topics from moonwalking and Martian dust devils to cliffs on a comet and supernovas. A combination of amazing photographs and artists’ depictions accompanying an accessible text will hold even very young readers.
Travel to the furthest reaches of the Universe and visit 100 remarkable objects along the way with this stunning space book for curious kids aged 7-9.
Space is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. The Mysteries of the Universe is a stunning space encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they journey through the vastness of the Universe. From planets and asteroids to black holes and galaxies, every page of this enthralling space book reveals the secrets behind more…
My expertise on the origins of our universe comes out of fascination, nothing more. I am a long-time children’s writer who began my approach to this topic with awe. Just awe. In order to write The Stuff of Stars I read widely to expand my own understanding. A single line in this text can come out of hours of reading. The books I’m suggesting here, though, are not the scientific ones that informed my telling. Rather, I have searched out books that are exceptionally creative, accessible, interesting. Some are for the very young and some for those who share their learning with the very young.
This fascinating book presents science side by side with creation stories drawn from every part of the world. Ghosh’s scientific explanations of the origins of our universe are succinct and clear. He tells us what is known about our beginnings, what is supposed, and what we do not know and may never understand. And he lays out creation stories from many parts of the world along with information about the cultures from which those stories came. How Did It All Start? is perfect for older children or for adults who want to deepen their understanding of both the science and the myths that surround our beginnings.
How did it all start? What was there in the beginning? What exactly is the universe? The brilliant stars, distant galaxies, the sun, the moon and our planet Earth. Where did it all come from, and what is its future? The Big Bang is a cornerstone theory of modern cosmology. This book tries to give a simplified understanding to our curious readers.
Take a look at when and how life started and evolved? How, where and when did the humans arrive? What was the journey of humans out of Africa and peopling of the rest of the world like? What…
My expertise on the origins of our universe comes out of fascination, nothing more. I am a long-time children’s writer who began my approach to this topic with awe. Just awe. In order to write The Stuff of Stars I read widely to expand my own understanding. A single line in this text can come out of hours of reading. The books I’m suggesting here, though, are not the scientific ones that informed my telling. Rather, I have searched out books that are exceptionally creative, accessible, interesting. Some are for the very young and some for those who share their learning with the very young.
It Started with a Big Bang: The Origin of Earth, You and Everything Else is another picture book that covers the same territory for the very young as The Stuff of Stars. The writing is conversational and accessible. The illustrations are compelling. The two books read side by side would support and inform one another.
In this accessible informational picture book, young readers can follow the fascinating story of how we got from the very beginning of the universe to life today on the “bright blue ball floating in space” called Earth. They'll learn about the big bang theory, how our solar system was formed, how life on Earth began in the oceans and moved to land, what happened to the dinosaurs and how humans evolved from apes to explore and build communities all over the planet ... and even travel to space. It's an out-of-this-world look at the beginning of everything!
My expertise on the origins of our universe comes out of fascination, nothing more. I am a long-time children’s writer who began my approach to this topic with awe. Just awe. In order to write The Stuff of Stars I read widely to expand my own understanding. A single line in this text can come out of hours of reading. The books I’m suggesting here, though, are not the scientific ones that informed my telling. Rather, I have searched out books that are exceptionally creative, accessible, interesting. Some are for the very young and some for those who share their learning with the very young.
What makes the picture book My Name is Stardust intriguing is that it was written by a nine-year-old girl with, apparently, some help from her dad. The text is clear, interesting, sometimes even playful. It is personal, too. When it introduces the dinosaurs, for instance, the author tells us why the brachiosaurus is her favorite. Young readers will be intrigued to know that this book came from another child.
Everything in our solar system is made of stardust, including YOU! This beautiful scientific fact helps us understand our connection to the cosmos and everything in the world around us. A wondrous STEM book for children which explores the formation of our solar system, our planets, and evolution on our magnificent planet Earth. Written by a father daughter duo and edited by Dr. Eric Meikle, former Education Project Director at the National Center for Science Education, to include both science fact and wonderment. A full glossary of scientific terms are included at the back of the book. My Name is…
Fer over ten years I skippered a small book publishing company. During them years I inspected countless book proposals, most which got tossed overboard. I kin quickly gauge whether a manuscript be ripe fer publication. I bring that same skill ter reading YA and middle grade fiction. Ter be honest, it be a good deal easier ter judge the work of others than write great ficiton. But since “voice” be the reflection of the author’s soul, it helps ter know that those who be crafting the tales ‘ave thar moral compass aligned ter true north. These four authors be stand up in my book.
Okay, I get it. This book was first published in 1904 and it’s about two people who were… not exactly born but created, like, a gazzilion years ago. Point is, it’s an old story. But it’s funny as all get out! (By the way, “Funny as all get out!” is a really old saying.) I bought a used copy of this book when I was a teen and still pull it out today and read parts of the story. This I often do when trying to understand my wife, boys, etc. Mark Twain’s humorous take on the Creation story and its interaction between Adam and Eve should be required reading for any young male seeking to understand the opposite sex. Here is my advice for teen boys trying to understand the opposite sex.
First, stop trying. Men much smarter than us have attempted to crack the code numerous times and…
The most complete edition of Twain's two stories, it uses Mark Twain's preferred text and includes passages not previously included--and not available in any other version. The editor's afterword tells how Twain came to write the "Diaries," which are recognized today as his most personal works of fiction.
"Funny? Yes. And you expect that from Twain. But this is also a love story... " --Birmingham Weekly, May 1999
"The sort of book that makes for deeply satisfying reading... one of the great love stories of all time." --The Mark Twain Forum, January 1999
I’ve been a biblical scholar for over 35 years and have spent a lot of time reading and writing academic volumes, analyzing arguments, and teaching diverse audiences. However, some of my formative experiences were as a child on my grandparents’ North Carolina farm, to which I still feel an almost elemental connection. Perhaps that farm (and my vegetable gardening) first sparked my interest in the environment. My interest turned to advocacy through research, which set me on the path to grasping the urgency of the climate crisis and my conviction that everything must reflect this reality. I’ve poured over the scientific reports (such as by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and read lots of nonfiction.
I grow weary of hearing religion and science pitted against one another in popular discussion, especially when it comes to discussing the origins of the universe. That’s why I appreciated Brown’s interweaving of the two in his discussion of the Bible.
In his exploration of the creation stories of the Book of Genesis, he finds commonalities between religion and science and also tensions that ultimately enrich them both. I finished the book with a greater sense of the world's wonder and beauty.
In the ongoing clash between scientists and fundamentalists, many people of faith feel that they are forced to choose between evolution and the Bible's story of creation. But as William Brown asks in this stimulating volume, which biblical creation story are we talking about? Indeed, Brown identifies seven different biblical perspectives on creation, and shows how a close reading of the biblical texts brings them to light. As he does so, Brown highlights both the connections and the conflicts between the ancient creation traditions and the natural sciences, arguing for a new way of reading the Bible in the light…
As the author of 100+ children’s books, I work mainly on assignment for educational and faith-based publishers. But when I’m freelancing, I want the topic to be something I’m passionate about. Being married to a science teacher, we often discuss science issues. After having grandchildren, I wondered, what type of planet are we going to leave them? Our grandchildren are aware and concerned about severe weather patterns. I asked myself, what can I do? Plus, I wanted to write through the lens of my faith. I wrote my picture book, God’s Earth is Something to Fight For, to instill hope and give practical ways for children to help save Earth.
So much more than a nonfiction book, Betsy Painter’s All of Creation informs and includes a Biblical perspective and Scripture related to each of the eleven chapters.
Each chapter includes how kids can make a difference and related activities with topics ranging from endangered species to coral reefs to the poles and global climate. The lyrical language emphasizes kindness and care for our planet. For example, the first chapter features water in language kids can understand.
“Imagine waking up during a thunderstorm, as the rain sprays against your window like God is aiming His garden hose at your house.” The chapter defines fresh water, explains clean water challenges, and gives concrete examples that widen a child’s scope related the world and its limitations.
Nearly 200 pages, this book empowers kids ages 8 – 12 to know more and to do more. The subtitle summarizes the book well: Understanding God’s Planet…
From conservation to protecting endangered species to sustainable living, All of Creation offers young readers accessible and fascinating information on the challenges our planet faces and practical ways we can care for the magnificent world around us.
Drawing on science and Scripture, this hope-filled and kid-friendly guide to planet Earth addresses our most pressing questions about caring for and respecting God's world, such as:
What are the biggest challenges our planet faces, and what impact do they have on our lives?
What guidance does the Bible offer to help us navigate environmental issues such as pollution, food shortages, and deforestation?…
I first studied creation myths at the University of California, Berkeley, and my favorite tales about the beginnings and endings of the world soon crept into my fiction. These allusions began as simple nods to the past, but after the sudden deaths of family members and a harrowing wildfire evacuation during a worldwide pandemic, apocalypses seemed very present in my life. I wrote my debut book From the Cavesduring this time, while attending Portland State University’s MFA program for creative writing, and the books in this list, like my novella, share a specific exploration of the post-apocalyptic, one interested in beginnings and creation at the end of the world.
I first learned about Penelope Farmer’sBeginnings: Creation Myths of the World while reading Megan Hunter’sThe End We Start From. In her short book, Farmer has compiled fragments of myths from around the world, and she organized these brief excerpts into sections that describe the beginning of the world, the origin of the earth and Man, flood and fire mythologies, the origin of death and food plants, and the end of the world. To see such different (and, sometimes, intriguingly similar) mythologies from diverse cultures sharing fundamental interests is inspiring in itself, and for such a quick survey of our world’s origin stories, the book is cosmic in scope and a wonderful jumping off place for additional research.
Stories and poems from many countries explaining the Creation and the different ways people have tried to interpret their world and experiences from the beginning of time.
Lilli Botchis, PhD, is a psycho-spiritual counselor, educator, and vibrational medicine developer with four decades of experience in advanced body/soul wellness and the development of higher consciousness. Her expertise includes botanicals, gems, color, flower essences, bio-energy therapies, and holographic soul readings. Lilli is an alchemist, mystic, and translator of Nature’s language as it speaks to our soul. A brilliant researcher in the field of consciousness, she understands the interconnectedness of Nature and the human being and is known as an extraordinary emissary of the natural world. Lilli has been inducted into the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. Many seek her out for her visionary insights and compassionate wisdom.
Gregg Braden is an example of one who has discovered how to live the spirituality within science. In this brilliant and insightful work, he links our genetic code to biblical alphabets to prove the unity of the human race and the idea that we are all greater than our beliefs. Braden shows that deep within our genetic code, held in the sanctuary of the DNA, is the universal message that traverses humanity—all cultures, all races, all genders: the name of God. Applying this message to our lives, we can transcend our beliefs, our biases, our conditioning to create a more harmonious condition of living for all of humanity.
A coded message has been found within the molecules of life, deep within the DNA in each cell of our bodies. In this book what we once believed of our past is about to change. Through a remarkable discovery linking Biblical alphabets to our genetic code, the 'language of life' may now be read as the ancient letters of a timeless message. This message is the same in each cell of every man, woman, and child, past and present.
During his extensive 12-year study of the most sacred and honoured traditions of humankind he has discovered tangible and unprecedented evidence…
I'm a teacher, philosopher, writer, Professor of Philosophy, and holder of the Sullivan Chair in Philosophy at Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. I'm the author/editor of sixteen books on such topics as religion and science, religion and politics, contemporary European philosophy, and political philosophy. I'm particularly interested in how religion and science, especially evolution, can be shown to be compatible with each other, as well as in developing an argument that there is no chance operating in nature (including in biology). My book and the books below explore these fascinating topics from almost every possible angle, and should whet readers’ appetites for further thinking about these intriguing matters!
In this book, catholic Cardinal Christoph Schonborn tackles hard questions concerning religion and evolution by developing a carefully reasoned "theology of creation." When I first read it, I was intrigued by his disagreement with some of his fellow Catholic thinkers, a disagreement that illustrates the range of positions that one can take on these issues, even if one shares the same general perspective. Schonborn considers such questions as: Can we still speak intelligently of the world as "creation" and affirm the existence of the Creator, or is God a "delusion"? How should an informed believer read the Book of Genesis? Are human beings a part of nature or elevated above it? Is everything a matter of chance or can we discern purpose in human existence?
The Cardinal argues that science and a rationally grounded faith are not at odds and that what many people represent as "science" is really a…
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn's article on evolution and creation in The New York Times launched an international controversy. Critics charged him with biblical literalism and "creationism".
In this book, Cardinal Schönborn responds to his critics by tackling the hard questions with a carefully reasoned "theology of creation". Can we still speak intelligently of the world as "creation" and affirm the existence of the Creator, or is God a "delusion"? How should an informed believer read Genesis? If God exists, why is there so much injustice and suffering? Are human beings a part of nature or elevated above it? What is man's…
