A dozen young teens undergo simulated astronaut training in this fascinating photo journal that’s packed with information on NASA space flights, training equipment, and kid comments about the rigor and excitement of preparing for space travel. Students experience extreme force in the Space Shot, try walking in reduced gravity using the Gravity Chair, and launch their own shuttle, Endeavour, from a simulated Mission Control Station. They develop problem-solving skills working with Legos, and develop teamwork, attempting to construct a cube of PCB pipes underwater. Each page has full-color photographs of the teens using the specialized training equipment and exploring real space modules. There are Amazing Space Facts side boxes, and photographs from NASA astronauts on space missions. Quotes from the participants enliven the text, and the author also imparts odd and interesting facts about how real astronauts manage eating, sleeping, showering, keeping clean, keeping cool, and urinating in space. Written with abundant good humor, this is a really attractive addition to the series with lots of kid appeal. (glossary, bibliography, acknowledgments for sources, no index) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83044-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2001
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
