We, the Curious Ones

Shimmering poetry and stunning cut-paper art portray epic concepts—the evolving biography of the universe and the symbiotic relationship between science and story.

Since the beginning, humans have created stories about the universe. From early mythology to modern-day science is a long journey, yet 95 percent of the world “out there” remains a mystery. What will we believe tomorrow? Marion Dane Bauer’s glowing poetry combines with Hari & Deepti’s intricate cut-paper illustrations, dazzling with light and shadow, to celebrate an active, vital, changing, and growing universe. They also show how we humans—the curious ones, the storytellers—are active, vital, changing, and growing, too. In a comprehensive afterword, the author tracks formative contributions to the study of the universe by Western and non-Western civilizations over the centuries.

Glittering with stars and pulsing with color and light, photographed dioramas constructed by married team Hari & Deepti convey a sense of limitless space. . . The collaborators bring sweep and majesty to the concept of paradigmatic change, communicating the challenge and excitement in revolutionary new ways of thinking and telling.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The gorgeous, dreamy, watercolorlike artwork—paper dioramas backlit and photographed—provides a celestial vibe to the background. . . An aesthetically beautiful book.
—Kirkus Reviews

Written in beautiful lyrical poetry, award-winning author Bauer presents a tale of human endeavor and history. . . . Students will be encouraged to look at stories with new eyes, ask questions, and engage in thoughtful discussion that promotes higher level thinking skills. . . . A book of poems that asks philosophical questions to provoke thought, encourage curiosity, and inspire young readers with a new appreciation and understanding about the world around them.
—School Library Journal

In this companion to her Coretta Scott King Award–winning The Stuff of Stars (2018), Bauer considers the intersection of science and story. . . . The cerebral, deceptively simple picture book for readers of all ages continues with beliefs about the earth, the sun, and the expanding universe; how these beliefs evolved over time; and how people continue to question them. . . ethereal.
—Booklist

A provocative exploration of human existence is skillfully captured in Bauer’s quiet but firm text, compelling readers forward and sparking appropriate curiosity while recognizing the flaws in any sense of certainty. . . . Ethereal illustrations are a unique blend of hand cut paper dioramas backlit and photographed; they feel pensive but dynamic, with silhouettes of humans and animals dwarfed by a sky swirling with celestial features in soft hues.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

With beautiful words and art, We, the Curious Ones pulls us into the endless loop of studying the worlds around us, telling stories about what we've seen, and asking the provocative questions that lead to further studies and further stories. It is a book to savor with your young ones, helping them appreciate that we scientists, whether paid or not, thrive on the curiosity that drives our understanding of the universe and our place in it.
—Lawrence Rudnick, professor emeritus, University of Minnesota School of Physics and Astronomy

Marion Dane Bauer is an award-winning author of more than one hundred books for young people, including the Newbery Honor Book On My Honor and The Stuff of Stars, illustrated by Ekua Holmes. A former faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, she now writes full time. Marion Dane Bauer lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.


Hari & Deepti are a husband-and-wife artist duo based in Mumbai. Their work has been shown in galleries throughout the world. “Paper is brutal in its simplicity as a medium,” they note. “It demands the attention of the artist, while it provides the softness they need to mold it into something beautiful. . . . It reflects light and creates depth and illusions in a way that takes the artist through a journey with limitless possibilities.” We, the Curious Ones is their first book with Candlewick Press.

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