June 30, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 An adorable dog in astronaut gear is the guide and narrator of this peppy, rhyming jaunt through space in which readers learn about 15 influential space missions, both crewed and robotic. Beginning with Sputnik 1, double-page spreads feature textured artwork that highlights the indomitable pup and featured spaceship (with parts labeled) and gives vibrancy to the dark space background. Rhyming stanzas, in turn, briefly describe the missions' important goals and outcomes, from entering the Space Race to discovery. The tour continues chronologically through John Glenn's orbit around Earth in Friendship 7, the first moon landing, the International Space Station, and the first all-female spacewalk, as well as information-gathering missions deep in space, such as Voyager 1, the Hubble Telescope, and the Perseverance rover on Mars. It concludes with the next space mission on the horizon, the Artemis space program, and its return of humans to the moon. This fun introduction to space exploration concludes with more detailed descriptions of each space mission, including its official name, dates in space, crew (if applicable), and archival photographs.
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September 29, 2023
PreS-Gr 3-The great space race is on! Reach for the stars while traveling alongside an endearing canine clad in astronaut gear guiding readers through 15 iconic space missions with satellites, rovers, rockets, telescopes, and space capsules all described in lyrical rhyming text. Knapman introduces astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch (of the International Space Station), as well as John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, plus familiar planets Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. Additional space features are detailed in the back matter, with robust descriptions of each space mission as well as a glossary deftly presented at the conclusion. Henderson captures the essence of outer space with digital art saturated with night-sky navy blues, the twinkle-white lights of stars, planetary reds of Mars, and subtle browns of the Hubble Space Telescope; this gateway of space images will fill readers' imaginations as they learn about the universe. VERDICT This book is sure to change the way readers understand the universe, especially younger children. The delightful rhyming stanzas will inspire further research and have students creating their own imagined excursions.-Lyn Smith
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