________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIII Number 35. . . May 19, 2017

cover

Mae Jemison: Trailblazing Astronaut, Doctor, and Teacher. (Remarkable Lives Revealed).

Linda Barghoorn.
St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2017.
32 pp., pbk., hc., & html, $9.95 (pbk.), $21.56 (RLB).
ISBN 978-0-7787-2704-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-2693-7 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-1814-1 (html).

Subject Headings:
Jemison, Mae, 1956- -Juvenile literature.
African American women astronauts-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Women astronauts-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Astronauts-United States-Biography-Juvenile literature.
Manned space flights-Juvenile literature.

Grades 3-5 / Ages 8-10.

Review by Alison Schroeder.

**** /4

   

excerpt:

As Mae prepared for space travel, she felt it was important to take things into space that represented her African American heritage. When she was growing up, the achievements of African American people weren’t always celebrated. To change this, she packed a poster of Judith Jamison, an African American ballet dancer; a Bunbu statue from the women’s society in West Africa; and a flag from Alpha Kappa Alpha - the oldest African American women’s sorority, or organization of female college students, in the United States. This was Mae’s way of celebrating her achievement as an African American female and sharing it with others.

 

Mae Jemison, a trained dancer, doctor, the first female African American astronaut, grew up during segregation, a period which is discussed with tact in this biography. The book explores Jemison’s life, challenges, and accomplishments through four small chapters, punctuated with facts and photos. It highlights how Mae flourished in school in many subjects from dance and theatre to science and math. She received a scholarship to Stanford University at age 16 and studied chemical engineering. The book also shows how she overcame barriers that existed simply because she was a female. An entrepreneur, scientist, doctor, and astronaut, Jemison has accomplished a lot and lived an inspiring life.

     This book would make an excellent subject for an in-class study or book report. There is a lot of valuable information in the book and inspiring subject matter for any student. It also contains lots of learning tools, like facts and questions throughout as well as a glossary of terms and writing prompts at the end. It would make a great addition to a school library or any educational collection.

     There are many photos in this book of Mae Jemison and places that were significant in her life. The cover image is of Mae in a space suit holding her helmet. This book also contains several historical images that put Mae’s life and story into context, such as photos of a protest from the Civil Rights Movement, individuals who helped inspire some of her great accomplishments, as well as present day photos of Jemison working with children and in research to advance space travel and explore how humans inhabit the earth.

Highly Recommended.

Alison Schroeder, who lives in Winnipeg, MB, has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba and is a lover of children’s books.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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