I Am Gravity

In the first person, gravity speaks of its many powers on Earth and in space throughout this incantatory introduction. Gesturing to human experiences of the force’s pull, riddle-like lines suggest, “You feel me but cannot see me. I reach/ everywhere, touching everything....” Other passages offer a more tactile personified perspective on the key role that gravity has played in shaping aspects of the universe (“Over millions of years, I pack molecules into planets”). As examples of the force’s influence build—touching on planet formation, black holes, the path of light, the tides, and much more—a titular refrain drives home the subject’s ubiquitous importance. López uses rusty pink coloring to visualize the entity’s pull as it swirls through space and tucks around kids of various skin tones while they play amid enigmatic backdrops that evoke the mysteries of the universe. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)