Relatively Speaking: General Relativity for Babies by Chris Ferrie

THIS IS A BALL.

Chris Ferrie's General Relativity for Babies (Baby University) (Sourcebooks, 2016) begins this effort to explain Einstein's famous theory with the simplest of concepts, a ball, and then at warp speed goes straight to the hard stuff.

THIS BALL HAS MASS.

Whizzing right by the old distinction between weight and mass, author Ferrie goes right on to show how mass affects space.

MASS DRAGS AT SPACE.

SPACE DRAGS AT MASS.

The erudite author, who holds a degree in mathematical physics and a postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Sydney, goes on to show how mass distorts space by using a flat page with a grid to show how mass can curve space, and shows how how shrinking a large mass may turn it into a black hole so dense that even light cannot escape it, and he goes on to illustrate the center of a black hole--the singularity and picture the gravitational waves that result from the convergence of two black holes.

Despite its title, the best-selling General Relativity for Babies (Baby University) is not exactly for infants, but preschoolers and elementary readers can get a good start on the vocabulary and a taste of the concepts of Einstein's theory of general relativity, appealingly illustrated by the author in simple line drawings with two colors, basic black and red, and Ferrie makes them simple and straightforward in proper board book style. School Library Journal calls this one "a stealth instruction for older students and caregivers who are a bit hazy on the basics of quantum and Newtonian physics."

Other books in the series include Quantum Physics for Babies (Baby University) Quantum Physics for Babies (Baby University), and Newtonian Physics for Babies (Baby University).