Stephen Hawking will return to bookstore shelves more than six years after his death.
Random House Children’s Books announced in a news release that it will publish You and the Universe, written by the late physicist and his daughter, Lucy Hawking, and illustrated by Xin Li. The press says the book will “inspire kids to ask the big questions about Earth and the cosmos.”
Hawking, the longtime University of Cambridge professor, was already a star in the science world before becoming a household name with his massive bestseller, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.
He collaborated with his daughter on a series of children’s books that began in 2007 with George’s Secret Key to the Universe and concluded 10 years later with George and the Blue Moon.
You and the Universe is an adaptation of Stephen Hawking’s Earth Day message, which was broadcast posthumously in 2020. Random House says the book highlights “the power of coming together and creating a better tomorrow.”
In a statement, Lucy Hawking said, “The combination of my father’s words with Xin’s stunning visuals will captivate the very youngest scientists and spark their curiosity about the universe we inhabit by sharing the wonder and delight of the cosmos—and remind us all why life on Earth is so unique and precious.”
You and the Universe is slated for publication on March 26, 2024.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
