The Back of the Universe

Full-bleed, double-page-spread art, in charcoal and watercolor, achieves a fuzzy, deep-sky effect. Bagley masterfully illuminates the charcoal with pops of color of varied intensities that showcase twinkling stars, the yellow-hot sun, the blue-green Earth, and, in the same vibrant color palette, the nighttime city lights. . . . [Bagley] invites general wondering about the connections between humans and the universe. . . . The narrator lulls the child to sleep, wrapped in a simultaneously expansive and cozy universe.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

Bagley . . . transforms a sleepless night into a cosmic round-trip in this atmospheric lullaby. . . . Dense, glowing charcoal and watercolor illustrations. . . . Throughout, precise storytelling locates the child as not lost in the immensity but held inside it. . . . this epic wind-down melds telescopic reach with snuggly intimacy.
—Publishers Weekly

Bagley’s spare, lyrical prose uses repetition and rhythm to create a lulling cadence well suited for bedtime sharing. The illustrations, rendered in charcoal and watercolor, are arresting. . . . Stunning illustrations anchor this expansive, contemplative consideration of our place in the universe. A strong selection for quiet readalouds.
—School Library Journal

For children who might find all that space entails to be a frightening concept, Bagley has a way of making the idea of stars and planets seem almost cozy as she draws her narration into the warm and familiar. . . . Soft-edged charcoal and watercolors pulse with fuzzy, cathedral-like hues, matching the comfort and stability of the child’s bedroom.
—Kirkus Reviews

In this soothing bedtime meditation, award-winning creator Bagley pairs lyrical text with luminous charcoal and watercolor illustrations. . . . With the elliptical charm of liminal logic, this contemplative journey through the universe’s vastness brings home the reassurance of your own small, special place within it. Conjuring an unhurried, immersive starlit tour toward sleep, this serene visual poem offers an inventive, indelible lullaby, a luminous choice for bedtime collections.
—Booklist