Introducing Kids to Darwin with Stardust

“Stardust and Friends: Darwin’s Journey” is a soon-to-be-published children’s book that brings the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin to a young audience in the way only the Stardust series can.

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This is the latest book in a series from authors Bailey and Douglas Harris, the daughter-father writing team who wrote “My Name is Stardust” in 2017 (when Bailey was just 11!). That book introduced children to fascinating science concepts with Stardust, a delightful guide that kids love. It was followed by two more Stardust books and even games and puzzles. You can find them all here. And you can support the latest project at their kickstarter!

One of the most inspiring aspects of the Stardust books is actually Bailey and her family. That is because Bailey is a talented public speaker who has an important story to share, and a family that encouraged her to share it. I first learned about Bailey and her books through a video I found online of one of her public talks. It was on the main stage at the annual Center for Inquiry’s conference (CSCICon), which must have been intimidating for a child, because it is a stage shared by the likes of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, and other famous super-smart people. But Bailey was at home in her truth, telling an inspiring story of facing adversity and finding her way through reason, science, and a little bit of critical thinking. After listening to her, I was more motivated than ever in my own mission to teach children critical thinking, because she is such a good example of how smart and skeptical kids can be when simply encouraged to question and given a safe place to develop their critical thinking skills. Here is a video of that talk. I strongly encourage you to watch it.

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Amazing, right?

So when I heard that Bailey was hard at work on a new book, I got very excited. And it turns out that I have every reason to be excited, because this is another great book in the series. This latest book introduces children to Charles Darwin and his discovery of evolution. The story describes Charles as a fellow kid and we learn that he earned a funny nickname: Gas. How? Because he loved to do experiments with gas; something I never knew about him which I couldn’t help but laugh about. It is just inherently funny to think of one of the greatest scientists in history being greeted as “Gas!” when he entered a room. We also learn that he attempted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor, only to discover that he couldn’t stand the sight of blood. Yet another quirky and fun thing I never knew. That fear of blood nudged him to go on to follow his true passion instead: studying animals. Where that leads him, and all of us, is the journey that Stardust takes us on in the book.

The illustrations in the book are vivid and engaging while also capturing the strange creatures of the Galápagos Islands that inspired Darwin’s groundbreaking ideas. The narrative is infused with a sense of wonder, encouraging children to embrace their curiosity and appreciate the natural world. The book does an excellent job of simplifying complex scientific concepts without diluting their significance, making it a perfect fit for early readers. And as in all the Stardust books, the characters model critical thinking skills throughout by asking good questions and praising curiosity about the world as inherently good. It is a beautiful book with great information and a good message.

Overall, “Stardust and Friends: Darwin’s Journey” is not just a typical children’s book, it’s an invitation for children and their parents to explore, question, and discover, just as Darwin did. This book is a fantastic resource for parents and educators wanting to instill a love for science and nature in young minds. I highly recommend it.

If you want to support the creation of this new book and secure a copy for yourself, you can do so at the kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stardustscience/adventures-of-stardust-and-friends-darwins-journey

If you are interested in the first Stardust book, you can take a look at it below:

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If you think that the Stardust books are great, you may also want to take a look at Elle the Humanist, which is written by Bailey’s sister!

And don’t forget their dad Douglas! He recently wrote a book for children about superstitions called “Don’t Be Mean to Thirteen” which I’ve used in my own psychology practice to help children who have phobias. I wrote a review of it here and you can take a look at it below: