Review of To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space

To the Stars!  The First American Woman to Walk in Space
​Written by Carmella Van Fleet and Kathy Sullivan
Illustrated by Nicole Wong
Ages:  5 – 8                                        
Grade level:  K – 3

I liked this book, a lot!  I read it to a preschool audience right after this week’s other book, Eight Days Gone.  It was so different, more words, longer sentences.  It felt like a book for older kids, but the age/grade ranges were the same.  Preschoolers liked details they identified with, that belong in their world, like Kathy loved traveling and maps.  She wanted to go everywhere, and she did! 
 
The authors/illustrators went on to show related facts with Kathy as a kid, then as an adult.  Kathy did cannonballs in a pool as a kid.  As an adult she’s still underwater doing astronaut training.  As a teenager Kathy learned to use a dashboard to pilot a plane.  As an astronaut she learned to control the buttons on a spaceship to fly to the stars. 
 
Growing up Kathy heard things like “Girls don’t like those jobs” or “Girls are supposed to be teachers or nurses or moms.”  Kathy ignored the nay-sayers and lived her dreams.  I’m glad she shared her story in this book.  She’s a great role model for today’s girls and boys who have big dreams.

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