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PreS-Gr 1–The story is fictional: Rocket Ship is just a little jittery about her first time on the launchpad, launch, going into space—everything. It’s overwhelming, but an omniscient narration reminds her to “use the countdown as your cue./ You’ll see. You’ll know just what to do.” And it’s true. Rocket Ship performs her duty to get her payload, a new satellite, into space where it will take pictures of Earth below. Facts are slipped into the story of Rocket Ship’s successes, one by one, to give young children a very good idea of how to launch and set up a satellite for use: “Step three: her top hatch opens wide./ It’s Rocket’s turn to be the guide./ Station lends a helping hand/ Just like boosters did on land.” The storytelling is effective, amplified by Magoon’s simple shapes and easy-to-guess facial expressions, but detailed enough to provide a rudimentary sense of how a satellite works. A generous amount of information is dispensed in accessible terms and accompanied by friendly scenes that parallel an elementary age student’s first solo project.
VERDICT Wondrous—a book that says, “You’ve got this,” seamlessly stirred into a STEM title.
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