Stay Curious offers young readers an introduction to the life and accomplishments of famous cosmologist, Stephen Hawking.
Hawking grew up in England, in a family who loved to read, even through dinner. The listened to opera and they even had beehives in their basement. The also enjoyed stargazing at night in their backyard. Stephen and his friends loved to create complicated board games and they enjoyed talking about how the universe came to be.
As in high school, Stephen never studied or took notes, but he still did exceptionally well. At Oxford, he joined the rowing club, which helped him to make many friends. Then Stephen began to have trouble controlling his body. He had difficulty tying his shoelaces, his speech was sometimes slurred and he fell down the stairs. But it wasn't until he fell ice skating one day with his mother and was unable to get up that the mystery was solved.
His parents took him for a series of medical tests and he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or what is called ALS. Stephen, who was just twenty-one-years-old, was given a devastating prognosis: he had two years to live.
At first he retreated from the world, Stephen remembered he was not the only one facing down a terrible illness. ALS allowed his mind, which was unaffected by the degenerative disease to focus on specific problems that interested him. He began to think deeply about the universe and how it might have formed. At this time Stephen had also fallen in love with his girlfriend, Jane Wilde, to whom he became engaged. This relationship gave him the strength to move forward with his life despite the crushing diagnosis.
Jane and Stephen would marry and have three children, Robert, Lucy and Timothy. Meanwhile, Stephen's health continued to decline, but not in the precipitous way predicted by doctors. And he would go on to become the premier cosmologist of his generation, proposing the theory of the Big Bang and discovering interesting features of black holes. His adventuresome and mischievous nature continued throughout his life. Stephen died peacefully, at home, at the age of seventy-six.
Discussion
Stay Curious! is an interesting picture-book biography of Stephen Hawking that focuses on his remarkable attitude, which allowed him to live a fulfilling life and to make major contributions to our understanding of the universe. The book's title is a play on Hawking's best-selling book, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.
The picture book is a good blend of highlighting Stephen Hawking's achievements while also chronicling his health struggles. As his body began to fail him, his mind began to compensate and his character was often revealed. For example, Krull and Brewer write that when Stephen lost his ability to write, "his memory became a kind of superpower."
With each physical setback, Stephen didn't give up but met the challenge. When finally having to use a wheelchair, "he became notorious for daredevil driving." Stephen's incredible attitude towards life was matched by his sense of humour and his eccentric ways. He loved to have parties in his hotel room and his birthday usually meant some sort of themed party.
Stephen's ability to live a fulfilling life was in part due to the efforts of his wife and friends which the authors also mention. For example, when he lost the use of his voice after a procedure, "Friends fitted a small computer and a speech synthesizer to his wheelchair. Stephen now 'spoke' in a robot-like voice with an American accent."
Boris Kulikov's colourful mixed media illustrations further enhance this inspiring account of Stephen Hawking's life. Stay Curious! offers young readers the opportunity to learn about Stephen Hawking, his work and ability to meet life's challenges with fortitude, perseverance and humour.
Book Details:
Stay Curious! A Brief History of Stephen Hawkings
New York: Crown Books for Young Readers 2020
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