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rkiladitis's review against another edition
5.0
Meet the first women to travel into space in this nonfiction graphic novel that has big appeal for Science Comics fans. Astronaut Dr. Mary Cleave navigates readers through the history of women and space travel, starting with the Soviet space program that made Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space, and illustrates the long road American women had to take to get Group 9, NASA'S first mixed-gender class, to the stars.
The most frustrating thing about Astronauts is reading how seemingly determined the U.S. government was to keep women out of space. The graphic novel tells multiple stories from different points of view; the Mercury 13 and Women in Space Program both ended up going nowhere, while the Soviet Union focused on sending just one woman - Tereshkova - into space. (And she didn't even tell her mother before she went.) It's disheartening to read that science journalists imagined conversations between women - female scientists - and Mission Control consisting of, "this little thingamabob has jiggled off the gizmo". Even when NASA got it together and began recruiting women for the space program for real this time, their concerns about dress codes and complete ignorance of basic physiology left me frustrated and even more determined to get my STEM/STEAM programming firmly entrenched here at my library. The second half of the book, focusing more on Mary Cleave's space shuttle missions and NASA training, are a welcome relief. There are some great and hilarious anecdotes throughout, and Mary Cleave's love for space exploration and science comes through, making me hopeful that this book will inspire many, many kids. There are references, a bibliography, and working sketches.
The most frustrating thing about Astronauts is reading how seemingly determined the U.S. government was to keep women out of space. The graphic novel tells multiple stories from different points of view; the Mercury 13 and Women in Space Program both ended up going nowhere, while the Soviet Union focused on sending just one woman - Tereshkova - into space. (And she didn't even tell her mother before she went.) It's disheartening to read that science journalists imagined conversations between women - female scientists - and Mission Control consisting of, "this little thingamabob has jiggled off the gizmo". Even when NASA got it together and began recruiting women for the space program for real this time, their concerns about dress codes and complete ignorance of basic physiology left me frustrated and even more determined to get my STEM/STEAM programming firmly entrenched here at my library. The second half of the book, focusing more on Mary Cleave's space shuttle missions and NASA training, are a welcome relief. There are some great and hilarious anecdotes throughout, and Mary Cleave's love for space exploration and science comes through, making me hopeful that this book will inspire many, many kids. There are references, a bibliography, and working sketches.
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful nonfiction graphic novel about space, particularly the history of it and how far women have come in space. Great timing as I read it three days before Space X launches.
teaoles's review against another edition
4.0
The font choice with all of the N’s written backwards makes it hard to read the words!
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful nonfiction graphic novel about space, particularly the history of it and how far women have come in space. Great timing as I read it three days before Space X launches.
lkstrohecker's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
suzannedix's review against another edition
3.0
I hope this catches the attention of our students. I really enjoyed it though I did find the numerous people and acronyms at times confusing. Loved learning more about NASA (less happy to be reminded of the discrimination of women in science and math).
Grades 5 and up.
Grades 5 and up.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
Done as a narration by Astronaut Mary Cleave, this book goes over the history of women astronauts and cosmonauts.
Nicely done. Straightforward, fun in places, such as when scientists were trying to figure out how many tampons women astronauts would need, rather than asking them.
Nicely done. Straightforward, fun in places, such as when scientists were trying to figure out how many tampons women astronauts would need, rather than asking them.