If you’re still basking in the earthshine of the Artemis II mission, author-illustrator Todd Stewart’s latest offering, Little Moments in a Big Universe, delivers a moon shot of cosmic wonder for young readers. 

The premise is this: a space explorer and a robot are doing what they do best, charting the vast Universe. But their mission is upended by a crash landing on an unknown planet, which seems to be populated by a glowing alien presence. Will they ever fix their spaceship and explore again? Are they safe?  

From the front cover to the end sheets, this book invites readers to lose themselves in the richly detailed spreads, and to listen to a multitude of voices, from the spaceship to the forest to the Universe itself. On Instagram, Stewart shared that while illustrating this project, he visited the Lillian H. Smith branch of the Toronto Public Library to study the Merril Collection of Science Fiction. That research clearly influenced the book’s aesthetic, including the otherworldly colour palette of violet, auburn and luminous green. Admirers of Stewart’s nature‑forward work, and of classic sci‑fi paperback covers, will find much to love here. 

Little Moments in a Big Universe is a fun sci‑fi primer for young readers. It’s also a book about learning to observe with all our senses and about gathering scientific data to make sense of the unknown. There’s a deeper emotional current too about facing fear, caring for the environment and for one another. So much is contained within this little book, and somehow the universe Stewart imagines expands to hold it all.mRb