Synopsis
Lookout NASA--these astronauts are already on their way to Mars, and are eager to share their interesting facts and fascinating illustrations with young readers. 10,000 first printing.
Reviews
Kindergarten-Grade 3-This journey to Mars combines space facts with letters of the alphabet. Many of the alphabet connections are weak (F: "Your journey will take you very far" and I: "You will be inside your spacecraft-"), but the brief facts included with each letter are just enough to entice young readers. Likewise, the alphabet and detailed drawings will appeal to pre-readers. The meatiest chunks of information are found in the appended "Mars A-B-Cyclopedia." The cheery, cartoon-style drawings done in watercolor and ink are the highlight of this title. Kids will enjoy following the busy blend of multicultural characters and a calico cat as they make their preparations and journey through space. Black-and-white drawings of the solar system and a diagram of the spacecraft's orbit are featured on the endpapers. Despite the feeble alphabet associations, there is much here for young space enthusiasts to explore.
Carolyn Stacey, Jefferson County Public Library, Arvada, CO
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The authors, a teacher and a research scientist, make their children's book debuts in this uneven alphabet book chronicling an expedition to Mars. Opening with the words "You are an astronaut!" the narrative places readers among the eight-member crew of youngsters (and one spacesuit-wearing cat) boarding a Mars-bound rocket. As the spacecraft soars through the atmosphere, a number of the alphabetically driven entries are inconsequential and strained (e.g., for the letter D, "You are going up up up in the right direction"; and for F, "Your journey will take you very far"). Additional, boxed text on each page offers more solid information, but it is often either hypothetical ("You may find that most of the rocks are similar to the ones you can find on Earth. Many of the rocks might come from lava flows and volcanoes") or leaves readers hanging ("You pick at layers of bright, crumbly rock with a rock hammer. You examine fragments with a magnifying glass. What do you see?"). A concluding "Mars A-B-Cyclopedia" will likely be appreciated more by a considerably older reader than that of the elementary narrative. Chesworth's (Archibald Frisby) watercolor and ink pictures inject some spark, but rely on a more somber, textbook-like palette to portray the young astronauts' activities within the spacecraft and their exploration of Mars. Ages 4-8. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
“You are an astronaut! These are your crewmates. You are going to Mars!” So begins an alphabet book of Mars for beginning science enthusiasts. Handsome watercolor drawings show a multiracial crew of eight kids and a pet cat as they suit up, board the spacecraft, and set off for Mars. The journey will take more than three years. The paintings and brief captions describe life aboard the space ship, Mars landing, exploration, experiments, and travel back home. Many pictures show the crew and cat floating inside the spacecraft, astronauts working, sleeping, and exercising in zero gravity. The title concludes with an A-B-Cyclopedia of additional Mars facts. Front end papers show a handsome drawing of the solar system, while back end papers show the orbit of the Mars space voyage. Younger children will read the illustrations and search for the alphabet letters while more able readers will explore the impressive number of facts in the brief captions, for example: “How far will you travel? The orbit of Mars is approximately 49 million miles from Earth, but because the planets are moving, your spacecraft is following an elliptical path of more than 300 million miles.” No sources are given, but Dr. Edgett is a research scientist working with pictures from the Mars Surveyor Project. A beginning science title to spur the imagination. (Nonfiction. 6-8) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Nine kids and a cat take off on a mission to Mars in this alphabetical picture book: "You are an astronaut! . . . .You are ready to board your rocket!" The alphabetical arrangement adds little to the book, but it doesn't seem to get in the way, either. The book's main appeal is twofold: the child-centered depiction of a long-term space mission and the sidebars with bite-size chunks of palatable information that sustain readers (and listeners) along the way. One particularly nice spread shows a cutaway view of the spaceship, complete with junior astronauts working and amusing themselves en route. Appealing to children's sense of curiosity as well as their sense of fun, Chesworth's ink-and-watercolor artwork strikes just the right balance between information and amusement. An upbeat but sound introduction to space travel. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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