To my utter shame, I had not heard of Maria Mitchell. So when I saw this children’s picture book dedicated to her life, I knew I had to give it a go. And what an enlightening experience it has been!

Maria Mitchell was the first professional female astronomer in the United States, the first female member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and one of the first female college professors, that too at Vassar. Society expected her to live a more traditional “womanly” life. But she was a little lucky that she was born to a Quaker family, who believed in education for all and equality of genders. Having an astronomer for a father and a librarian for a mother certainly helped Maria’s brilliance. What a loss it would have been for the world had she been part of a more orthodox family!

The book details out Maria’s life from her younger years, her scholarly and scientific achievements, and her discovery of what we today know as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet”. What I loved even more is the inclusion of practical life lessons in the author’s note. This section provides many wonderful thoughts on what lessons can be learnt from Maria’s life. How I loved this section! I wish all picture books could include something like this rather than leaving the parents/teachers to figure out the morals and messages from a book.

The illustrations are ‘out of this world’, as they need to be to depict an astronomer’s life. 😉 Blue is a dominant colour to doff a hat at the night sky and its myriad stars. The rest of the illustrations are also drawn in an appealing way, though they aren’t too vibrant, thus keeping in with the tone and time period of the story.

Though a picture book, it doesn’t speak down to its readers. There are difficult words, and very young readers might need help comprehending some of the details. But to the right age group, this book will be inspiring.

The only area where the book could have worked better for me is in specifying the time period and Maria’s age as the story progresses. There are so many events depicted from various stages of her life, but other than a slightly more grown-up version in the illustrations, we never know how old she was when those things happened. The year in which she was born is mentioned only in the author’s note. Having a mention of this at the start would have established the time period clearly in the minds of the readers. But these are minor areas of improvement.

Overall, I adored this book and relished the opportunity to learn about one inspiring woman whom history shouldn’t forget. Heartily recommended to everyone.

4.75 stars.

My thanks to Kids Can Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Loved it!

A wonderful children's book about the girl who could! So wonderful that a young woman born in the early 1800's was brainy and encouraged to succeed by her father!

Three minor comments that I will provide to the publisher directly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Alary the author, Ellen Rooney the illustrator and Kids Cann Press the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the Advance Read Copy of The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything: The Story of Maria Mitchell. Publication Date 3 May 2022.

I plan to purchase for my niece and nephew!

I love finding out about famous women who I know nothing about, and I also love it when these books are for children, so that they too will learn.

Apparently, Maria Michtell was very famous, being the first woman astronomer in the U.S., as well as one of the first female college professors. She was entirely self-taught, having read the contents of the Nantucket library when she was a librarian there.

Very enlightening picture book, and so good that her story is become available to another generation.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything is a stunning little biography about Maria Mitchell. I can't believe she was a figure I knew nothing about until this book, and now I'm absolutely enthralled with her! As a work of nonfiction, there is a beautiful balance between careful word choice making the story captivating, the important messages about the choices and opportunities given to children, and the full story progression of her major life events and beliefs. The illustrations are simple yet stunning- a mix of texture, pattern, and a concise color palette. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy for my own picture book collection! This is a book perfect for children and adults alike, in terms of messages, knowledge, and enjoyment! The educational pages at the end are a fantastic addition as well.

Thank you, Kids Can Press, for the advance reading copy.

This storybook is phenomenal.

The illustrations, the storytelling, the writing and the presentation everything clicked.

Please mark the date. And yes keep this one as a collectible. Kids will get motivated. Parents will get enlightened. Teachers will get happier reading this book out loud. A must keep.

“The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything: The Story of Maria Mitchell” is an absolute must-read. This book isn’t only a biography of a wonderful woman scientist, Maria Michell, it is also a story of a true trailblazer who believed in inquiry, learning, and choices for all. Maria’s story is truly inspirational. She made the best of her choices and reached her goal of being a recognized astronomer who was able to pass her love of the cosmos and learning to the next generation. The notes at the end of the story are perfect for sharing during guided reading and reading workshops.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for a free digital copy.

A wonderful picture book biography of Maria Mitchell, an icon in the world of STEM. I think the information about Maria is presented beautifully in word and in illustration. Equal parts inspirational and information this is a wonderful book for your shelves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher- kids can press, I received an arc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!


I’m a homeschool mama to a 3rd and 1st grader - here are their thoughts:


3rd: Maria seemed really cool in this book and I’m glad we got to learn about her!


1st: Maria reminded me of me!


My own reviews and thoughts- illustrations, beautiful. Book- perfection. Loved the information not being washed off for a younger audience. I myself have never heard of Maria until this book- so I was learning right alongside my kids snd I feel like at 30, I learned quite a bit!! Looking forward to more books similar to this- and we will definitely be adding this to our “females are strong!” Shelves!

This was a cute little book about Maria Mitchell, who I'd never actually heard about prior to reading this book. The illustrations were beautiful and I love the texture that was put into them. The story was well-written in that it described Maria's life and how she used the knowledge her father gave her to advance other women and girls. I do wish the rarity of Maria being taught these skills, as a female in her time, would have been touched on more. I think it's important for future generations to be reminded that women have, and still are, fighting to be equal. The story did feel a little disjointed at times and I thought there could have been better transitions, but I don't think this is something that children (the intended audience) would notice. I enjoyed the information at the end. This is a great section to help tie it into a lesson or just to give advanced readers some more knowledge on the subject. Overall a good book for children, especially to those interested in learning more about the sky and astronomy.

This memorable biography of Maria Mitchell describes how a persistent, highly motivated girl became a successful astronomer. Told with engaging prose and with many colorful, interesting illustrations, readers get a real sense of Maria's strong desire to be an astronomer and her ultimate success. Yet there is more. We learn from the author's note that while Maria pursued her interests, she also championed women's right to choose what to do with their lives--what to learn and study. This is a well-crafted picture book biography. It's a great choice for science programs, read alouds, and independent reading. Very informative and interesting.

This was such a great little book! I loved the strong emphasis that women can do anything, and it's ok to want more out of life. The art style was also really unique, and I loved this style of it. This book was both educational and inspiring, and I could really see reading this to a young girl who has big dreams. I also loved the tips and lessons at the end of the book. Overall a really great read and I think it would be a gorgeous gift for a young girl, or parent of a young girl.