An inspiring yet balanced guide for children contemplating their dream career in space.
In this nonfiction picture book, Soules presents a detailed account of what it takes to be an astronaut—not as a sugarcoated, romantic adventure but as a profession.
“So. You want to be an astronaut. You want to leave the planet. Not in a dream. Not in a story. For real,” Soules writes in this volume of her So You Want To Be series. “You want to strap yourself into a seat on top of a rocket that burns seven million pounds of fuel and ride a column of fire through the atmosphere until the sky turns from blue to black and the stars come out.” From this poetic introduction, Soules proceeds to temper this fantasy with lived experience, describing the preparation that astronauts go through, including studying robotics, foreign languages, and the sciences, and what astronauts actually do aboard the International Space Station, including conducting experiments, making repairs, and exercising to slow muscle and bone loss. These grueling aspects are balanced by explanations of the life-changing shift in mentality that astronauts have reported from spacewalking, experiencing weightlessness, and having looked at Earth from space, which puts all of life into perspective. Soules writes in the second person, and her conversational tone fosters a connection with individual readers while still exuding enthusiasm, understanding, and belief. On each page, the text shares space with vivid digital illustrations depicting astronauts of varied ethnic and national backgrounds engaged in training exercises or at work aboard the ISS. Soules used AI in crafting these pictures, noting that the AI tools in question (though not named) operated “within established ethical frameworks.” The end result is mostly good, though there are some issues, such as an arm that isn’t attached to anybody in an illustration of a crowd. The book concludes with a glossary and a resource page suggesting further books, websites, and activities for the budding young astronaut.
An inspiring yet balanced guide for children contemplating their dream career in space.Pub Date: April 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781972766019
Page Count: 38
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle.
Through many types of weather and the different seasons, water tells readers about its many forms.
“Sometimes I’m the rain cloud / and sometimes I’m the rain.” Water can make rainbows and can appear to be different colors. Water is a waterfall, a wave, an ocean swell, a frozen pond, the snow on your nose, a cloud, frost, a comet, a part of you. Throughout, Paterson’s rhyming verses evoke images of their own: “Soon the summer sun is back / and warms me with its rays. / I rise in rumbling thunderheads / like castles in the haze,” though at times word order seems to have been chosen for rhyme rather than meaning (“In fall I sink into a fog / and blanket chilly fields, / with pumpkins touched by morning frost / the harvest season yields”). Backmatter includes a diagram of the water cycle that introduces and describes each step with solid vocabulary, including “Collection” as a step in the process; “The Science Behind the Poetry,” which unpacks some of the poetic language and phrases; some water activities and explorations; conservation tips; and a list of other books from the publisher about water. Paterson’s full- and double-page–spread illustrations are just as magical as his verse, showing water in its many forms from afar and close up. Few people appear on his pages, but the vast majority of those are people of color.
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58469-615-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dawn Publications
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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