Astronaut Training

by Aneta Cruz, Olivia Aserr (Illustrator)

Overview

When Astrid's first space mission goes disastrously wrong, she realizes she needs a bit more training than she thought!

Astrid is training to go to space! But as she builds her shuttle, cooks astronaut food, and practices floating in zero gravity, Dad tells Astrid that the ship's construction is too dangerous, she's too little to cook alone, and she's not allowed to flood the bathroom. That night, when Astrid dreams she's an astronaut, the challenges she encounters are overwhelming. Astrid realizes she isn't as ready as she thought. Back on Earth, Astrid turns to her loving and supportive Dad, who helps Astrid continue her astronaut training.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635922882
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	03/16/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	676,395
Product dimensions:	11.20(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Staying up way past her bedtime and reading by a moonlit window is how Aneta Cruz fell in love with books and the Cosmos. She holds a BA in English Literature, an MFA in Creative Writing, and an Early Childhood Special Education Credential.

Olivia Aserr is a half Egyptian, half Irish-American illustrator. She is currently a background painter on Cartoon Network's Victor & Valentino and a children's illustrator. Visit oliviaaserr.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Organic lines and jewel tones warmly depict Astrid building spaceships, making astronaut food, and practicing floating in space. A fun read." —Kirkus Reviews

"[T]his is a cute, easy story for readers to be introduced to a STEAM field at a young age."—School Library Connection  

"This bright and cheery book fills a hole in the shelves for budding astronauts and space enthusiasts." —School Library Journal

"Bold, brightly colored digital illustrations cover the pages from margin to margin and are filled with details of home and outer space. Brief information about space travel is given at the book’s conclusion." —Booklist

"Astronaut training [is] a delightful story! Aserr's illustrations of the other worlds were whimsical—the stuff dreams are made of. A great bedtime read." —Kiss the Book

From the Publisher

03/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—Though Astrid aspires to be an astronaut, whenever she tries to build a spaceship, make astronaut food, or float in the bathtub as though she's in space, the results are disastrous. When she attempts to count the stars, she runs out of numbers. Frustrated, she falls asleep and in her dreams her wish comes true. She goes on a Gulliver-esque journey (complete with an aerial illustration of Astrid in a supine position surrounded by small creatures), traveling to the planets of "the bigs" and "the littles," but still cannot successfully complete her astronaut tasks. Upon waking, she complains to her dad, the only parent present in the story. He then helps her build, cook, float, and count, and like Goldilocks, she finds that her own planet is "just right." The digital illustrations are detailed and animated. The scenes in space are tinted with cool blue tones. Astrid and her dad have brown skin and black hair. The premise of the book, including the protagonist's name, brings to mind Ken Wilson-Max's Astro Girl. However, unlike the earlier book, the message of this book is unclear. The Goldilocks theme is undeveloped, and the repetition of certain words feels uninspired. Back matter extrapolates on space shuttles, space food, and gravity in an effort to connect Astrid's play with real space exploration. VERDICT Despite the lack of clear message, this bright and cheery book fills a hole in the shelves for budding astronauts and space enthusiasts.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2021-01-13
Enthusiastic Astrid prepares to be an astronaut while her father chases after her.

Organic lines and jewel tones warmly depict Astrid building spaceships, making astronaut food, and practicing floating in space. She counts stars to fall asleep, then finds herself on a planet populated by giant ETs. They’re too big for her to build them spaceships, so she blasts off to a planet that has tiny aliens instead. No success there either. In an arresting full-bleed illustration, starry sky blends into Astrid’s celestial bedspread as she wakes up back on Earth. Finally, she asks her dad for help, and he’s only too happy to assist her building, cooking, floating, and star-counting. In another striking double-page spread depicting them stargazing together, even her dad’s fuzzy sweater seems palpable. Astrid’s turtle pal appears frequently, never in its terrarium. Astrid, her father, and her discreetly pictured absent mother have brown skin and dark hair. One endmatter page offers informational paragraphs on space shuttles, astronaut food, and gravity, but this book aims to inspire more than educate. It’s confusing for the text to refer to rocket boosters and fuel tanks next to an illustrated retro-stylized spaceship that has neither. It’s downright incorrect to say that orbits happen “because of the way gravity works in space”; gravity works the same way in space as it does on Earth. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.5-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 91% of actual size.)

A fun read, though its narrative may gratify adults more than children. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews