By Matthew Cordell
Neal Porter Books / Holiday House, 2026
48 pages
978-0-8234-5155-5
Ages 9-14
A dazzling homage to David Bowie presents him as a traveler exploring vastly varied worlds of creative expression throughout his career as “a cosmic, celestial, musical artist.” Unlike the static sound of most musicians, Bowie “embraced change,” trying on different personas and shifting his musical style—often radically—whenever he grew restless. A chronological tour of his career stops first in “a spacey place,” where Bowie as Major Tom creates music that is “dreamy and electronic… layered with intergalactic sounds and interstellar lyrics.” It moves next to a “noisy jam of a rock-and-roll scene,” where Bowie as Ziggy Stardust pushes the boundaries of gender expression. Then, shedding this glittery guise, and backed up by the vocals of talented Black singers, Bowie “wrap[s] himself up in the smoothness of soul” as the Soul Man. His life had its ups and downs: As the Thin White Duke, he “shriveled and withered,” falling “so low, so fast” his survival was in question. But he then rose to new heights as a pop star, achieving enormous fame before yet again abandoning his character and sound for something new. Accompanied by Cordell’s scribbly, dynamic drawings, the narrative continues on past Bowie’s death; today “his art lives on,” reaching and inspiring new listeners. Many worlds, many lives, one artist: “This is David Bowie. Who are you?” ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center