An ex-astronaut shares vital information about what he calls “our, um, bodily functions” in microgravity.
Prospective space travelers can find out about astro-toilets from many guides, but with the help of co-author Loredana, Williams goes far beyond that—offering not only frank observations about toilet facilities for men and women both aboard the International Space Station and in space suits, but measures taken to deal with constipation and farting. In addition, he offers accepted techniques for keeping body, hair, nose, and teeth clean; how to eat and sleep in space; and what to expect in the way of temporary body changes in, for instance, height and bone density. Burping, as it turns out, is a chancy business, because there’s no way of telling what will come up: “make sure you have a cleanup plan ready!” He does leave out a few topics, notably menstruation, but along with the alimentary information, he also slips in some general facts about astronaut gear and practices. Krynauwis adds cartoon images of smiling children floating in the void to the mix of narrative blocks and photos of ISS residents at work and play. The cast, both in the photos and the cartoons, displays a range of nationalities and skin colors (including green).
Riveting reading for junior astronauts—and just about everybody else. (index, resource lists) (Nonfiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-55451-854-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION
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Thought-provoking and charming.
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A sophisticated robot—with the capacity to use senses of sight, hearing, and smell—is washed to shore on an island, the only robot survivor of a cargo of 500.
When otters play with her protective packaging, the robot is accidently activated. Roz, though without emotions, is intelligent and versatile. She can observe and learn in service of both her survival and her principle function: to help. Brown links these basic functions to the kind of evolution Roz undergoes as she figures out how to stay dry and intact in her wild environment—not easy, with pine cones and poop dropping from above, stormy weather, and a family of cranky bears. She learns to understand and eventually speak the language of the wild creatures (each species with its different “accent”). An accident leaves her the sole protector of a baby goose, and Roz must ask other creatures for help to shelter and feed the gosling. Roz’s growing connection with her environment is sweetly funny, reminiscent of Randall Jarrell’s The Animal Family. At every moment Roz’s actions seem plausible and logical yet surprisingly full of something like feeling. Robot hunters with guns figure into the climax of the story as the outside world intrudes. While the end to Roz’s benign and wild life is startling and violent, Brown leaves Roz and her companions—and readers—with hope.
Thought-provoking and charming. (Science fiction/fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-38199-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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Ellie navigates secrets and gender conflicts while trying to create an amazing birthday gift.
Ellie and her best friend, Kit, overhear Kit’s mother talking about Kit’s upcoming birthday, and she mentions “Miss Penelope”—the name Kit’s picked out for a dog (her stepfather’s and sister’s dog allergies complicate her wish). When Ellie’s first attempt at a birthday gift doesn’t go so well (Ellie has a healthy, relaxed attitude about trial and error and perseverance), she decides to make a doghouse for Miss Penelope. To complete such a grand project in so few days, she enlists help from eager engineering student Toby and an artistic trio of girls named Madison, Taylor, and McKinley (they draw a comic book called The Presidents)—but she doesn’t let them know about one another, as the trio and the neighborhood boys don’t get along. Ellie feels guilty about her deception as well as for deceiving Kit so she can spend time away from her working on the doghouse. Eventually, she’s caught and must come clean. This she does neatly in a way that explicitly rejects the idea that activities and objects are gendered (e.g., boys and girls can both like engineering and tea parties). Throughout, she engineers both pranks and inventive ways around various obstacles, always using common materials. (Mourning supplies diagrams of both, amplifying the humor.) The twist ending is not what most readers will expect. Characters lack physical descriptions, but Ellie’s depicted with pale skin on the cover.
A spirited, duplicable depiction of STEM fun. (tool guide) (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-519-3
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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