Almost Astronauts and Astronauts–Women who Overcame the Odds
Jason had his “Argonauts,” the USSR called them “cosmonauts,” and the word astronauts (Greek-“astron” for star and “nautes” for sailor) became a household term in 1961 in the USA. Sailors of different seas, intrepid people have set forth to explore the unknown. The Argonauts sailed in the ship Argo and sought treasures of one sort and another, while the cosmonauts and astronauts sought, and continue to seek, knowledge on a grand scale–a treasure in its own right. Interest in space and things visible in the sky seems to have been a part of the human experience forever. Modern people can only imagine the awe early humans felt observing falling stars, passing comets, eclipses, and other celestial events. Obviously, many cultures have stories to explain all of the natural occurrences with explanations which include gods, powerful beings, and manipulators far superior to ordinary humans. Now it is ordinary humans who have traveled in space, walked on the Moon, and seek to expand knowledge of the space that surrounds the bounds of Earth.
Visit the following web sites for more information:
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/people/astronauts.html
Contributor: Sheilah Egan
Reviews
The following books give the history of, pay tribute to and document the lives of those women involved in aviation, space flight and space exploration.
African-American Astronauts
Dr. Stanley P. Jones and L. Octavia Tripp
This is one in a series of Capstone short biographies. Its six brief chapters feature a general discussion of astronauts and how to become one, plus five biographies of the initial African-American astronauts in the U.S. space program. The varied backgrounds of both male and female astronauts serve as an inspiration to those children who have special dreams of what they want to be when they grow up. A glossary of space terms and several addresses for seeking further information are included. A nice addition to the school library. 1998, Capstone Press, Ages 7 to 9, $19.00. Reviewer: Meredith Kiger
ISBN: 1-56065-695-6
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
Tanya Lee Stone
Women were not allowed into the US space program until the 1978, but talented women lived on the fringes of the program from the early days. Through the efforts of Randolph Lovelace, the chairman of NASA’s Life Sciences Committee, several women were tested for suitability for space travel. The first tested was Jerrie Cobb, who more than surpassed the results seen for the Mercury 7 astronauts. Twelve more women had excellent results. But they never got the chance to be trained. More than twenty years after the first manned space flights, Sally Ride became the first woman in space. Another sixteen years passed before Eileen Collins became the first female shuttle commander. The author spends a lot of time describing the social and political atmosphere of the time. While this is important, the descriptions feel almost like a distraction. The achievements of these women were impressive in any situation. And their story should be told. The book is readable and useful as a reference. The author’s research is meticulous, and she includes a good index, numerous photographs and illustrations with credits, references for further reading, available websites, an extensive bibliography, endnotes, and acknowledgments. 2009, Candlewick Press, Ages 10 up, $24.99 and $17.99. Reviewer: Sue Poduska (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4502-1
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3611-1
Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator
Shelley Tanaka
Amelia Earhart remembered seeing her first airplane when she was eleven years old.” So begins the story of one of the greatest aviators of all time. The year was 1908 and the airplane was still a primitive method of travel. It was 1920 before she took her first flight -- after a stint nursing WWI veterans in Toronto and trying medical schoo--but after one flight she was hooked. She began flying lessons, bought her own plane and practised whenever she could -- becoming a social worker to support her hobby. In 1928, as the first woman passenger to cross the Atlantic by plane, she became a star. Her next challenge was to cross the Atlantic flying her own plane. In May, 1932, she touched down in a farmer’s field in Ireland after a tense 13-hour flight. Amelia’s last flight, an attempt to circumnavigate the globe, ended in her mysterious disappearance in 1937. Author Shelley Tanaka includes the latest research--that she and her navigator landed on an island in the South Pacific and lived as castaways for several years, a tragic end to an amazing woman. Tanaka’s writing is confident and engaging. Amelia comes across as the determined woman she was, allowing no obstacles to get in her way of flying. The story flows seamlessly and with much interesting detail, covering her many accomplishments in five chapters. There are a few informative sidebars but they never interrupt the flow of the narrative. The book is designed as an oversized picture book with photographs as well as attractive colour illustrations by David Craig, who also illustrated First to Fly about the Wright brothers. There is a bibliography and index. Amelia’s greatest legacy was to inspire young people, especially girls, to follow their dreams --“Think for yourself,” she would say. “Figure out what you love to do. And then go out and do it.” Grades 3 and up. 2008, Madison Press/Abrams Books for Young Readers, (hc) $20.95. Ages 8 up. Reviewer: Mary Anne Cree (Canadian Children’s Book News, Winter 2009 (Vol. 32 No. 1)).
ISBN: 978-0-81097-095-3
Astronomers: From Copernicus to Crisp
Connie Jankowski
The “Mission: Science” series covers core science topics as well as individual and collective biographies of scientists. For extra depth, volumes of each can be paired. Colorful pages contain illustrations, text in various fonts, and sidebars or “Did You Know?” balloons. In this volume, readers will meet famous early astronomers like Copernicus (1473--1543), who argued that our earth and other planets move around the sun, mathematician Johannes Kepler, who developed laws of planetary motion, and Galileo, who built a better telescope and discovered Jupiter’s moons and the phases of Venus (not discussed here, though his conflict with the Church is mentioned). Some lesser-known astronomers introduced to middle readers are Benjamin Banneker, the first African-American astronomer, and Mary Somerville, the first woman to present her research to England’s Royal Astronomical Society. Working with ever more powerful telescopes, twentieth-century astronomer George Ellery Hale founded three observatories, Edwin Hubble discovered other galaxies in the universe, and astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar described white dwarf stars and black holes. Especially dramatic are the pages about NASA’s four huge space telescopes; female readers may be encouraged by information about present-day astronomers Jocelyn Bell Burnell (who helped discover pulsars) and Joy Crisp, who chose tools for the Mars rovers. Included are a timeline of astronomy and an illustrated list of facts about the scientists featured in the book. While each biography is very brief, the presentation is appealing enough to inspire beginning astronomers to pursue more in-depth research. Content has been contributed by Sally Ride Science. 2009, Compass Point/Capstone, Ages 9 to 11, $26.60. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7565-3965-8
ISBN: 0-7565-3965-X
Ellen Ochoa: Astronaut and Inventor
Anne Schraff
Included as one of the subjects in the “Latino Biography Library,” Ellen Ochoa has had a distinguished career as an astronaut and scientist, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Always an outstanding student, Ochoa was inspired by the example of her mother, Rosanne Deardorff, who nurtured and encouraged her five children and was able, after many years, to earn a college degree herself. Ellen excelled in high school, played the flute, and graduated from Stanford with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and optics. As restrictions eased on women in the space program, Ochoa qualified as an astronaut and began her rigorous training in 1990. This long biography focuses mostly on Ochoa’s scientific work and her successes as an astronaut, especially maneuvering with the robotic arm to deploy and recover satellites and, once, delivering supplies to the International Space Station. She was also used in public relations for the space program, becoming a popular and inspirational speaker with students and teachers. Ochoa finessed four space missions before being made a director of flight crew operations and later deputy director at the Johnson Space Center. Somehow, in the midst of all this, she found time to marry and have two sons. Illustrations are color photos—interesting of space equipment, but often grey and dull when focusing on humans. With its emphasis on the science of the space program, this book will find its audience in readers able to handle a more sophisticated writing style than this oversimplified, rather plodding text. 2010, Enslow, Ages 10 to 15, $31.93. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 0-7660-3163-2
ISBN: 978-0-7660-3163-0
Ellen Ochoa- People We Should Know
Jayne Keedle
Who is Ellen Ochoa? What did she do? Why did she want to be an astronaut? and many more questions are answered in this book about Ellen Ochoa. She was the first Hispanic woman in outer space, for those of you that are not familiar with her. This is a book that takes us through the journey of her first shuttle launch, how she became an astronaut to the present day of what her life is like now. For any child who has to research a person and create a biography, or specifically Ellen Ochoa, this is a well-written book that is a biography of an astronaut who now travels and speaks at schools. There is a glossary, other books and websites to visit, a timeline, index, and a table of contents that lists each chapter. This would be a great chapter book for beginning readers to see how a book is laid out and a great way for a child to be able to say he/she read a chapter book. Ellen Ochoa is certainly a person to know now and in the future. 2009, Gareth Stevens, Ages 8 to 10, $24.00. Reviewer: Melissa Zanot (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4339-0019-8
ISBN: 1-4339-0019-X
Daring American Heroes of Flight: Nine Brave Fliers
Jennifer Reed
What a refreshing look at brave flyers—women and African Americans are feature more than white males which while it is not really representative of the field it offers inspiration for all. The story starts with the Wright brothers and their story is pretty familiar. Next, Bessie Coleman, an African American woman, who had to go to France to learn to fly and who eventually had her own air show in 1922. She became know as Queen Bess or Brave Bessie. Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart endured considerable hardship as they strove and succeeded in flying solo across the Atlantic. The story of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was not as familiar to this reviewer, but in addition to being a brave and courageous flyer, he also faced discrimination with even greater courage and fortitude. The picture of him getting his fourth star in 1998 is memorable. No book about heroic flyers would be complete without mention of Neil Armstrong who was the first man to set foot on the Moon. For women, Sally Ride is a true model—she has a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford, was the first woman in space and was followed by another great role model, Eileen Collins who became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle. Thier stories are inspirational. The timeline that run across the opening pages of each chapter marks major milestones in each of their careers. The text is laid out with inset boxes from myreportlinks.com as well as other photographs and drawings. It is a bit busy, but today’s kids seem to deal with these layout more easily than adults. One spread recaps the many Internet links associated with the information in the book. There is a glossary, chapter notes and an index. Part of the “Great scientists and famous inventors” series. 2009, Enslow, Ages 8 to 12, $33.27. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-59845-081-1
ISBN: 1-59845-081-6
Mae Jemison
Stephen Feinstein
The first African-American woman in outer space, Mae Jemison, is a noteworthy candidate for inclusion in this biographical series. Written in clear, simple language for younger readers, Feinstein describes Jemison’s path to becoming an astronaut. Young students completing their first biography reports will have an easy time filling in the blanks of their required assignments with basics such as when Jemison was born, what she accomplished and when. Yet the chapter dealing with Jemison becoming a doctor is thin-her accomplishments are clearly listed, but this two-page chapter would be stronger with an anecdote, quote, or photo of Jemison to show how her achievements affected her personal growth. Brightly colored graphics and photographs will appeal to readers. Value-added extras include suggested books and Web sites for learning more. This title, and others in the series, would ably fill the need if you lack biographies written for students just beginning to read nonfiction for information. Also, consider purchasing if you have a gap in female scientists in your collection. Glossary. Recommended. 2008, Enslow Elementary (Enslow Publishers, Inc.), 24pp., $21.26 hc. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Jennifer Coleman (Library Media Connection, August/September 2007).
ISBN: 0-7660-2762-7
ISBN: 978-0-7660-2762-6
Moon Over Star
Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Aston takes us back to the summer of 1969, to share the excitement and wonder of eight-year-old Mae as she reports on the anticipated landing of the astronauts on the moon. Although her grandfather feels it is a waste of money, she and her cousins are hoping for success. They assemble a “spaceship” to imagine the blast-off. Everyone gathers around the TV to hear that, “The Eagle has landed.” Mae asks her grandfather to watch the moon walk with her. As she does, she thinks about the hard farmer’s life he has had, perhaps along with the extra burden of being an African American. Watching the live TV picture from the moon thrills all the family, “And maybe even President Kennedy too… “Later her grandpa encourages Mae to “Keep on dreaming.” On the front of the cover we meet a contemplative Mae under a half-circle moon. On the back, we see more of Pinkney’s deft naturalism in a view of the moon approached by the space ship, displaying his esthetic sensitivity as he designs his scenes to provoke our sense of wonder, along with the emotions involved in the vicarious space adventure. His family portraits tell the tale of the millions who watched the event. Particularly potent is the textless double page watercolor image of the blasting off with the mingling of yellowish cloudy vapors against the deep blue of the distant sea. The human quality of his graphite, ink, and watercolor illustrations is more compelling than any photograph. 2008, Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Young Readers Group, Ages 6 to 8, $17.99. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3107-3
ISBN: 0-8037-3107-8
Roberta Bondar
Leia Tait
This brief information book is a great addition to any children’s library or classroom. Parents and teachers can use this biography to inform students about a remarkable Canadian woman. Roberta Bondar’s biography begins with her life as an astronaut and her mission aboard the Discovery. The text clearly describes her work and the impact she’s had on future space missions. Not only do we learn about the eight day mission, we learn about the experiments she performed in space and how important they were for scientists around the world. Bondar’s physical and mental preparation for space travel is also detailed and can be easily understood by younger readers. As we follow Roberta’s life from her home town in Ontario to her work with NASA, teaching about space travel and astronauts, we are guided by sections in the text that clearly separate her background, influences, and obstacles in life. Teachers and parents can easily use this information book to teach students about key text features, such as table of contents, glossary, headings, captions, index and side bars. This will help students develop skills in finding information that is important and required in a nonfiction book. The Quick Fact section, which allows for new information to be displayed in a short amount of space on the page, will keep the readers’ attentions. Another important feature to this book are the references to websites and how to perform further research on Roberta Bondar. In teaching students about writing a biography, this book lends itself as a resource tool by giving step by step instructions and examples. Students can view a Thought Web and a Timeline of Roberta Bondar’s life which was used in creating her biography. I would use this book as an additional resource in teaching biography writing to my students. Roberta Bondar is full of photos and pictures that accompany the text. They are used to highlight specific details and show students unique images of space travel and life as an astronaut. Highly Recommended. Rating: **** /4. Grades 3-6. (Remarkable Canadians) 2009, Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Company), 24 pp., pbk. & hc, $9.95 (pbk.) and $22.95 (hc.). Ages 8 to 11. Reviewer: Kim Dyment (CM Magazine, May 15, 2009 (Vol. XV, No. 19))
ISBN: 978-1-5538-8482-8
Skygazers: From Hypatia to Faber
Lisa E. Greathouse
After describing what an astronomer does and how to become one, the author presents brief, one-to-four page biographies of nine important astronomers. They are Hypatia of Alexandria, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Caroline Herschel, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Carl Sagan, Margaret Geller, and Sandra M. Faber. The chronological presentation allows the reader to follow the advancement of discoveries and the inventions that have made the discoveries possible. Facts are stated in a straightforward, informational style. There are little sidebars entitled, “Did You Know?” that add interesting tidbits of information. For example, “Did You Know? Galileo taught himself how to grind the lenses for his telescope.” There are other sidebars in black that summarize Galileo’s legacy and Newton’s Laws of motion and ones that talk about the Columbia and Challenger space shuttle missions and suggest ways for the reader to view the night sky. Part of the “Mission.Science” series, this also includes an alphabetical quick reference guide to the nine astronomers, a glossary, an index, a timeline, a bibliography, and a guide for finding information on the Web through FactHound. Photographs, paintings, and drawings all add further information, except for the action photo of the roller coaster, which is very blurry and has no caption to explain its connection to Newton’s Laws. Otherwise, this is a serviceable introduction to astronomers and astronomy. 2009, Compass Point Books, Ages 9 to 11, $26.65. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7565-4075-3
Space Tourism
Steven Kortenkamp
This wonderful easy to read text about space tourism is the best title in a six set series about “Incredible Space.” The information contained in this small appealing text is fascinating, engaging, and cleverly presented. Young readers will be intrigued to learn about the concept of space tourism and they will be fascinated to know that perhaps one day they will have an opportunity to be a space tourist! There is a photograph of Anousheh Ansari who became the first female space tourist in 2006. She is pictured in a full astronaut suit, seated in a space craft, headed for the International Space Station (ISS). Her mission was to study the germs that grow inside the ISS. Young readers will learn that space tourists may one day stay in a space hotel and there is a photodiagram of a space hotel , with the explanation that space hotels will not need floors or ceilings because there is no gravity and tourists will simply float! On each page of this interesting book there are full-color photographs, photodiagrams, and incredible facts that help explain the text and aid in comprehension for young readers. Important subject specific vocabulary words are printed in red ink and in the back of the text and there is a glossary which contains all these important words. Young children interested in learning about space tourism will enjoy this engaging text and they will be excited and inspired to learn about the space tourism of the future. Written in simple, short sentences that contain controlled vocabulary, young readers will enjoy this text in or out of their elementary classroom. Readers of this exciting, easy-to-read nonfiction will learn about the space tourism and yearn to learn more abut all aspects of space exploration and discovery, while sharpening their skills as capable and enthusiastic independent readers. 2009, Capstone Press, Ages 4 to 9, $22.65. Reviewer: Susan Borges (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4296-2324-7
You Can’t Do That, Amelia!
Kimberly Wagner Klier
Illustrated by Kathleen Kemly
Klier takes us back to the childhood of Amelia Earhart, to show the background of a remarkable woman. Always a dreamer, young Amelia actually builds her own roller coaster. Growing older, she determines to learn to fly and buys her own plane. At each decision she is told, “You can’t do that, Amelia.” But she does. She finishes third in the grueling Women’s Air Derby in 1929, despite stopping to help a wrecked friend. Fulfilling one of her grandest dreams, Amelia becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. This is as far as the book takes us in Amelia’s life, but it offers a clear picture of a brave, bold young woman. Kemly’s naturalistic, double-page illustrations tend to dramatize events like the rescuing of a friend from a burning plane, the flight over snow-covered peaks, even Amelia standing in front of her plane being interviewed by reporters. Care is taken with details of dress as well as planes. Notes fill in the details of Amelia’s life from start to finish. There are also extensive lists of sources. Perhaps because this is not fiction, the colorful jacket picturing the saucy Amelia covers a plain, dark-red cover. 2008, Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills Press, Ages 7 to 11, $16.95. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 9781590784679
ISBN: 1590784677
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Updated 08/24/09
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