ASTRONAUT

This installment in Bright’s new series invites the very young to reach for the stars.

A brown-skinned tot who’s “always looking up” at the sky imagines a future job high above Earth. “Where do I start?” The child ponders a variety of careers, among them pilot, scientist, and engineer, before considering that of astronaut. If the youngster is “selected for space,” plenty of training will ensue, followed by a trip to the International Space Station. It’s “Goodbye, gravity!” up there, necessitating unusual solutions when it comes to shampooing and peeing; lunch is eaten from a pouch. “Keeping fit” is a must (Bright notes that “some astronauts have even run marathons in space!”). A core responsibility is conducting experiments; “suiting up” for a spacewalk is another exciting moment. We’re far from family, so “phoning home” offers an opportunity to relax, along with playing music and looking out the cupola (“big window”). At bedtime, tucked into a tethered sleeping bag, the small astronaut clutches a space-alien stuffie. After reviewing the day’s revelations about the work involved, readers meet “Real Life Astronaut” Terry Virts, who describes what he learned in training and what he enjoyed most about space travel. Youngsters will emerge with plenty of information after finishing this book, with its colorful, detailed, and accurate illustrations that convey the exhilaration of space flight. Gunawan’s careful compositions accommodate data-filled captions without clutter.

Sky-high dreams can begin early, tempered here with down-to-earth information.