Infinity and Me

By Kate Hosford and Gabi Swiatkowska

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Nov 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781467737913

Kate Hosford

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.

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Reviews for Infinity and Me

[scote23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think my favorite part about this story were the illustrations. Infinity is a hard concept to grasp, and I did like this author's take on it.

[ebarclift13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantasy story about a young girl trying to understand the meaning of "infinity" in her new shiny red shoes. Initially she looks at the stars and is amazed by how many their are and her inability to count them all. From there she asks her friend, Samantha, her grandma and many of her teachers what infinity means to them. Each one gives a different way of understanding "infinity." She begins to gain an understanding that infinity is "forever" and so she tries to think of all the things she would want to have or be forever. Throughout the book the young comments that no one noticed her new shoes, and in the end her grandma does and so she days she will love her forever just like "infinity."

[alyson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great combinations that really work in this book:

* Nice story and consideration of a math/philosophical question
* Pondering infinity and new red shoes at the same time
* Well written and beautifully illustrated

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A little girl explores the expansive meaning of infinity. My favorite lines in the book: "At first, I thought that I might like to have recess forever. But if there's no school before recess, and no school after recess, is it really recess anymore?"

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A young girl tries to understand and imagine the infinite in this stunning, lushly illustrated story.

[amaraduende · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A young girl tries to get a handle on the concept of infinity. The illustrations are one part Edward Gorey, one part scrapbook. Very fun.

[books9n9pickles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun book about a mathematical concept. Uma feels the weight of infinity looking up at the night sky. She asks friends how they think of infinity, finds similarities with the idea of forever, and thinks about things that might go one forever. As the author's note Saya, she comes up with her own way of thinking about infinity. Props for replacing the generic mother figure in the story with a grandmother. The art is beautiful.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little girl named Uma wonders how many stars there are in the sky and muses: “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?”She asks her friends, family, and teachers how big they think infinity is.Uma did have other concerns. It seemed like, with all that contemplation of the mysteries of the universe, no one was noticing her new red shoes. But that night, her grandma said:“Uma, I meant to tell you this morning - those are the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen!”And suddenly Uma understood something about infinity: “Right then I knew - my love for her was as big as infinity.”That night, when Uma looked at the stars cuddled up with her grandma, the sky didn’t seem so huge and cold anymore: “Now it was more like a sparkly blanket, covering us both.”The author reports that she interviewed children in kindergarten through second grade to learn what they thought about infinity, and their answers feature in this book. She found that children understood infinity is an idea as well as a number. She concludes with the thought:“How many ways are there to imagine infinity? An infinite number. Just close the book and begin.”Charming and whimsical illustrations (and great endpapers!) by Gabi Swiatkowska creatively illustrate the many ideas offered to Uma about the nature of infinity. Readers 5 and up will be entertained by the pictures as well as the story.Evaluation: This story should inspire conversations about Life, the Universe, and Everything. Adults will be intrigued as well - I was reminded of the debate in the great science fiction movie “Interstellar” about love, and what a powerful force it is - an idea echoed in this story.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

PSC Review: I have trouble wrapping my head around the concept of infinity, and was amazed at how well Kate Hosford was able to explain it to children (and me). Uma is looking up at the night sky thinking about what infinity means. She asks several friends and they give her good explanations, but she still doesn’t understand. She turns to her grandmother who explains infinity is like a family, it keeps going on forever. Uma tries to imagine something she’d like for infinity, like recess or endless ice cream cones, but having these treats without end makes them sound less appealing. She finally realizes something she does have an infinity of and that’s her love for her grandmother. Swaitkowska is the perfect illustrator for this book. Her filmy somewhat foggy artwork is perfect for a book trying to explain a concept for infinity.