All summer, I’ll be sharing books for kids of all ages on topics that will interest them or offer them something new to learn about. Most of the time, these will be nonfiction books, but sometimes we can learn from fictional stories too.
I hope you will stay tuned to these posts. They will always have Summer Read-to-Learn in the title and the tags. There will be books from some of my favorite publishers like Feeding Minds Press, Chronicle Kids, Twirl, Templar Books, Candlewick Press, and others as well as books on all kinds of topics kids love to read and learn about. Be sure to stop by each week to see what book I’m sharing as part of my Summer Read-to-Learn series.
To see all the books in the Summer Read-to-Learn series, click HERE.
HOW TO SPACEWALK
Step-by-Step with Shuttle Astronauts
By: Kathryn D. Sullivan
Illustrated by: Michael J. Rosen & images from NASA
Published: June 6, 2023
Publisher: MIT Kids Press/Candlewick Press
Non-Fiction
Kathryn D. Sullivan was one of the first six women in the US Space Program and the first American woman to take a spacewalk. I recently shared a book, THE SIX: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush, which told the amazing stories of those first six women astronauts. I highly recommend this book if you love reading about inspiring women in history.
Just yesterday, Boeing’s first Starliner mission carrying two American astronauts traveling to the International Space Station, lifted off on a historic launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. You can watch their lift-off below in this video. Fast forward to the 4:10 mark to see the lift-off.
Kathryn Sullivan has seen about as much of the world as you possibly can by being an oceanographer, an explorer, a pilot, and an astronaut. But, in the 1950s, it wasn’t so easy to be a girl interested in science. Thankfully, her parents encouraged her excitement about science.
With fact-based paragraph boxes, a combination of illustrations and actual photographic images, and conversational text, Sullivan makes the idea of becoming an astronaut approachable for all kids. She has even included photos of her own experiences walking readers through each step of the process including a typical schedule, what living quarters are like in space, all the parts of the spacesuit, and the hours of practice needed to carry out a space walk.
For kids who dream of becoming an astronaut, Sullivan takes kids into space with her. She exclaims that there is really nothing that will prepare them for seeing the Earth from Space or for the thrill of being weightless. Sullivan’s passion for Space oozes from the pages and easily gets kids excited to learn all about Space and Space Travel. I highly recommend this book and think it would be an excellent resource for a classroom library.
Check out the Teacher’s Guide, HERE.
Kathryn D. Sullivan, dubbed “the most vertical woman in the world” by coauthor Michael J. Rosen, has spanned the greatest vertical distance that any earthling has traveled, from the deepest ocean to the altitudes of three space shuttle missions. Among the first women in the US space program and the first American woman to conduct a spacewalk, she is also an oceanographer, global explorer, and pilot, as well as the author of Handprints on Hubbleand the host of the podcast Kathy Sullivan Explores. For several years, she served as undersecretary of commerce for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She lives in Ohio with a pair of Havanese pooches.
Michael J. Rosen is the author of some 150 books for readers of all ages, including A Ben of All Trades: The Most Inventive Boyhood of Benjamin Franklin, illustrated by Matt Tavares; The Tale of Rescue, illustrated by Stan Fellows; and four volumes of haiku. Although his imagination has soared in many directions and genres, one he’s never considered is up: a step stool is his maximum height, and a sheet of black construction paper on the floor makes him dizzy. Michael J. Rosen lives in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio, where he also works as a painter, sculptor, and printmaker and as the companion animal to a cattle dog named Chant.
To purchase a copy of HOW TO SPACEWALK, click HERE.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Check out my review policy, HERE.
Posted Under Book Review, Children's books, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Michael Rosen, NASA, non-fiction, space, Summer Read-to-Learn