Sun Moon Star

by Kurt Vonnegut, Ivan Chermayeff

Overview

The only children’s book by the author of Slaughterhouse-Five “spins the Nativity tale in a cerebral, humanist direction” (The New York Times Book Review).
 
Sun Moon Star is the story of the birth of Jesus—as told by Kurt Vonnegut. This children’s book takes the newborn Jesus’ perspective, offering beautiful and insightful descriptions of the world from someone newly born into it. In this book, we follow Jesus and meet the people most important to his life—presented in new and surprising ways. A powerful departure from Vonnegut’s more adult work, Sun Moon Star gives readers a rare glimpse of the writer’s talent in a format that’s unique and unexpected. This book’s well-crafted simplicity is sure to make it a favorite—with both children and adult readers who are Vonnegut fans.
 
“Vonnegut tells the story of the Nativity in his own original style that’s both delightful and charming. Complete with illustrations, this is a read suitable for both children and adults alike.”—The Bookbag, UK
 
“It’s Vonnegut’s descriptions of the sheer newness of human experience (the child’s ‘fourth dream was simply green. It had never seen/ green/ before’) that make this an intriguing and memorable perspective on the Incarnation.”—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780795335525
Publisher:	RosettaBooks
Publication date:	10/01/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	66
Sales rank:	1,040,782
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	3 Months to 11 Years

About the Author

Kurt Vonnegut is a unique voice in the American canon-a writer whose works are hard to categorize, often straddling the space between literature and science fiction, and filled with cutting satire and dark humor. Like Mark Twain before him, Vonnegut's reputation and impact on American writing and reading will continue to grow steadily and increase in relevance as new insights are made. Vonnegut was born in 1922 in Indianapolis, and studied at the University of Chicago and the University of Tennessee. In the Second World War, he became a German prisoner of war and was present during the bombing of Dresden. This experience provided inspiration for his most successful and influential novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut-admired as much for his views and his "Vonnegutisms" as for his publications-wrote extensively in many forms, including novels, short stories, essays, plays, articles, speeches, and correspondence, some of which was published posthumously.

Date of Birth:

November 11, 1922

Date of Death:

April 11, 2007

Place of Birth:

Indianapolis, Indiana

Place of Death:

New York, New York

Education:

Cornell University, 1940-42; Carnegie-Mellon University, 1943; University of Chicago, 1945-47; M.A., 1971

Editorial Reviews

Vonnegut's beguiling children's book, first published in 1980, spins the Nativity tale in a cerebral, humanist direction.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

09/26/2016
Long out of print, Vonnegut’s only book for children—a 1980 interpretation of the Nativity story—returns in a new edition, again paired with graphic designer Chermayeff’s cutout shapes of stars, suns, and moons, set against deep blue backgrounds. The child is referred to only as It or the Creator of the Universe, and Vonnegut’s narrative dwells on the child’s disorientation having traded an existence in which “It had known all things and been all things” for the limitations of human flesh. Readers soon learn that the celestial objects the infant sees are actually people and things nearby, transformed by bleary, teary eyes and the novelty of sight itself. A crescent moon, for example, is actually “the forehead of Joseph,/ who would pretend to be the Creator’s father/ with all his heart.” Mary, the shepherds, the Wise Men, and Herod are all present or discussed, but it’s Vonnegut’s descriptions of the sheer newness of human experience (the child’s “fourth dream was simply green. It had never seen/ green/ before”) that make this an intriguing and memorable perspective on the Incarnation. Ages 5–9. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"It’s Vonnegut’s descriptions of the sheer newness of human experience (the child’s “fourth dream was simply green. It had never seen/ green/ before”) that make this an intriguing and memorable perspective on the Incarnation."
--Publishers Weekly

"Vonnegut tells the story of the Nativity in his own original style that's both delightful and charming. Complete with illustrations, this is a read suitable for both children and adults alike."
--The Bookbag UK

From the Publisher