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quasinaut's review against another edition
4.0
Short and sweet, with beautiful illustrations.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism and Racism
readaloud_mom's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
This sweet and inspiring book is a perfect bedtime read-aloud.
I love the advice that Mae gets from her parents in the story: "If you can dream it, believe in it, and work really hard for it, anything is possible!" (How often do we see "dream" and "work hard" included in the same piece of advice? NOT OFTEN ENOUGH.) It's great to see a book where a girl is being supported and encouraged by BOTH of her parents. I also really liked the depiction of the parents' gender roles (example, the adorable illustration where dad is cooking while mom gets a chance to read a book).
Realistic covert racism/sexism is present in the story, shown through a teacher who doesn't support Mae's dreams (instead suggesting that "nursing would be a good job for someone like you"); this book started some great family conversations about those topics. However, I also admired how this book managed to give this barrier due weight while still keeping the focus firmly on Mae and her joy in her dreams.
This story doesn't have much by way of biographical details, but I do appreciate that the book includes a page in the back with cool biographical details about the real Mae Jemison and her multi-faceted grown-up career.
I love the advice that Mae gets from her parents in the story: "If you can dream it, believe in it, and work really hard for it, anything is possible!" (How often do we see "dream" and "work hard" included in the same piece of advice? NOT OFTEN ENOUGH.) It's great to see a book where a girl is being supported and encouraged by BOTH of her parents. I also really liked the depiction of the parents' gender roles (example, the adorable illustration where dad is cooking while mom gets a chance to read a book).
Realistic covert racism/sexism is present in the story, shown through a teacher who doesn't support Mae's dreams (instead suggesting that "nursing would be a good job for someone like you"); this book started some great family conversations about those topics. However, I also admired how this book managed to give this barrier due weight while still keeping the focus firmly on Mae and her joy in her dreams.
This story doesn't have much by way of biographical details, but I do appreciate that the book includes a page in the back with cool biographical details about the real Mae Jemison and her multi-faceted grown-up career.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Sexism
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