The award-winning “It started with a Big bang” (“Het hele soepzootje”) is the latest book by Dutch author Floor Bal.
In this accessible informational picture book, young readers can follow the fascinating story of how we got from the very beginning of the universe to life today on the “bright blue ball floating in space” called Earth. They’ll learn about the big bang theory, how our solar system was formed, how life on Earth began in the oceans and moved to land, what happened to the dinosaurs and how humans evolved from apes to explore and build communities all over the planet … and even travel to space. It’s an out-of-this-world look at the beginning of everything!
For this book Floor Bal worked closely with illustrator Sebastiaan van Doninck. The Danish translation Èn stor suppedas is published by the Turbine publishing company. Canadian publishing house Kids Can published It started with a Big bang in English. In 2021 Zeppelin Forlag has published the Norwegian translation. A Chinese and Galician version will follow soon.
Bal received the Dutch Vlag en Wimpel Award 2019 for ‘Het hele soepzootje’. The book has been nominated by the Belgium Kinder- en Jeugdjury 2020.
‘Dag drol‘ (Bye bye turd) explains the proces that turns food into poop and answers the intriguing question ‘What happens to poop when you flush the toilet’. Editions Milan published a French edition in 2023.
Not yet translated:
‘Het einde van Iemand‘ (‘The end of Someone’) is a comforting book about death. It provides answers to difficult questions that young children ask when a loved one dies.
‘Duurt het nog lang‘ (‘How much longer‘) provides a week-by-week pregnancy guide for young children who expect a little sibling.