Infinity and Me

When I looked up, I shivered. How many stars were in the sky? A million? A billion? Maybe the number was as big as infinity. I started to feel very, very small. How could I even think about something as big as infinity?

Uma can't help feeling small when she peers up at the night sky. She begins to wonder about infinity. Is infinity a number that grows forever? Is it an endless racetrack? Could infinity be in an ice cream cone? Uma soon finds that the ways to think about this big idea may just be . . . infinite.

Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year ALA Notable Children's Books New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Building STEAM with Día Book List Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children Junior Library Guild Selection The Cook Prize Finalist Maine Chickadee Award Nominee Red Clover Picture Book Award Nominee Chickadee Award Nominee

“"Uma's struggle with the meaning of infinity offers readers a playful, gorgeous introduction to the mathematical concept. When little Uma gazes at the vast night sky and wonders how many stars are there, she asks, 'How could I even think about something as big as infinity?' When friends, her grandmother, the school cook and the music teacher offer creative ways of describing infinity, Uma ends up feeling rather overwhelmed. She then realizes that her pondering has made her forget about the new red shoes she'd been so excited about right before her stargazing musings began. Worse yet--no one had noticed her fancy new footwear that day! But after school, Grandma tells her 'Uma, I meant to tell you this morning--those are the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen!' and in a joyous spread, Uma glories, '...my love for her was as big as infinity.' Then Uma and her grandmother go outside to look at the sky, and '[s]nuggled up to Grandma, the sky didn't seem so huge and cold anymore. Now it was more like a sparkly blanket, covering us both.' While Hosford's text deftly evokes the child's voice, Swiatkowska's expressive, lush illustrations steal the show, providing infinite opportunities for readers to examine each and every spread. A stellar artistic vision of the infinite power of intergenerational love." --starred, Kirkus Reviews”

"A stellar artistic vision of the infinite power of intergenerational love." --starred, Kirkus Reviews

"Even for adults, this is an enormously complex idea—scientifically, mathematically, philosophically—but Hosford smoothly distills it to a manageable serving that will both engage and challenge kids. Swiatkowska's art, too, is remarkable at this elucidation, illustrating the text literally but with appropriately disorienting and surreal details that combine to whimsical, visually stunning effect." --The Horn Book Magazine

"Swiatkowska's imaginative artwork combines the free-wheeling, slightly eerie absurdity of Monty Python animations, the formality of nineteenth-century decorative patterning, and the playful nerdiness of Leonardo da Vinci-styled inventions. For math and language arts teachers in search of circular common ground, ∞ marks the spot."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This unusual, philosophical picture book makes this seemingly difficult concept approachable and interesting....This quiet jewel is sure to spark contemplation and conversation among readers."

"Hosford's (Big Bouffant) story is as much a look into the interior life of a sensitive girl as it is a meditation on a mathematical concept—a task for which Swiatkowska's (This Baby) idiosyncratic portraits are perfectly suited." --Publishers Weekly

"Swiatkowska's Victorian-style drawings are vaguely reminiscent of Edward Gorey, and Hosford effectively reflects the ways in which young children might grapple with, and come to some understanding of, such an impenetrable notion." --The New York Times Book Review

Kate Hosford is the author of several picture books, including Infinity and Me which won the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book award and was named an ALA Notable Children's Book. She lives in Brooklyn. Gabi Swiatkowska likes looking at the moon surrounded by seemingly infinite stars from her home in France. Find more of her books and illustrations at

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