To the Stars!

I loved the art work in this book and it was such an interesting story but I found the format really confusing. Apparently, it's sort of like a compare and contrast, where something from Kathy's childhood translates to something she did in adulthood. Because it kept hopping around in time, I was afraid I was reading it wrong, but I think that's how it was supposed to be.

Lovely illustrations and an inspiring story make this a great read for young and old alike!

To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space Carmella Van Vleet, Kathy Sullivan Kathy Sullivan has always been a brave and daring soul. Events in her childhood inspired her to look past the limitations that the adults in her life placed on her. She loved people, and different cultures. She learned to fly, and then became the first female Astronaut to walk in Space. This book is inspiring and helpful for all children, and especially girls who want to change their role in the world.

Uplifting and encouraging for all young girls interested in the sciences and maths. While I enjoyed the narration, I would have preferred it to follow a straight forward timeline rather than flip-flopping between Ms. Sullivan's young girlhood and things she did when she was older. Other than that, an excellent book for the young, adventuresome explorer!

This was a lovely little book with some excellent images. I really enjoyed it. When I was younger I was lucky enough to visit Kennedy Space Center and learn more about the space race and this just brought back some excellent memories. a brilliant introduction to the first American to walk in space, and hopefully a book to inspire more young girls that they can do it too.

I loved this book. The text and illustrations where beautiful and inspiring. When I was little I wanted to be an astronaut and go into space. As I got older, I wanted to teach more than anything so that I could encourage girls to dream of having whatever career they wanted.I was sitting in my high school biology class when the Challenger exploded while we all watched it live on television. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. This book proves to all children, boy or girl, that you can do anything if you work hard and apply yourself.

It seems like another age, and, truly it was. When Kathy Sullivan was a little girl, people expected her to aim at being a mother, a nurse, or a teacher. Kathy had other ideas. She wanted to see the world, to fly, to do something exciting. Thankfully, she had boldness and support of people around her to pursue her dreams.

To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space introduces kids to Kathy. Her dreams were always bigger than the world around her. She decided she wouldn't let gender roles determine her career and life choices. Against the odds, she ended up flying in three space shuttle missions, including one in which she became the first woman to walk in space!

To the Stars has lovely illustrations by Nicole Wong which capture Dr. Sullivan's love of life, even from an early age. Girls and boys alike can draw inspiration from Dr. Sullivan's determination and, most of all, the enthusiasm with which she pursued her dreams. Mothers, nurses, and teachers are vital roles, and I hope little girls everywhere will continue to pursue these occupations and be the best they can be. But I am glad that women like Dr. Sullivan have paved the way to broaden opportunities for women, giving girls more to aim for.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

TO THE STARS is a wonderful book for showing strong women. It is also a wonderful book for any kid interested in space exploration, science, etc.

The book describes the life of Kathy Sullivan, former astronaut and the first woman to walk in space. The book tells the story of how Kathy became interested in flying and how she refused to listen to those who told her that “girls” cannot do certain jobs. The authors did a fantastic job of illustrating how the things Kathy did when she was younger prepared her for her work at NASA. The illustrations are detailed and well done. They tie the entire book together.

IReading this book, I am in awe of how well the authors told the story of Dr. Sullivan at a child’s level (in fewer than 50 total pages). This is a superb work of nonfiction for any child. I also appreciated the back material of the book that went into a bit more detail on Dr. Sullivan.

TO THE STARS tells a wonderful story, the writing is superb, and the illustrations are outstanding.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a complimentary electronic copy of TO THE STARS from the publisher (via Netgalley) for review purposes

Nice introduction to the first American woman to walk in space presenting her challenges growing up in a limited opportunity mindset culture and how she followed her passion to create her own success.

To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space is a children's nonfiction picture book written by Carmella Van Vleet and Dr. Kathy Sullivan. It was illustrated by Nicole Wong. Kathy Sullivan wanted to go everywhere. She loved blueprints and maps. She loved languages and the ocean. Kathy liked fishing and swimming; flying planes and studying science. That’s what she liked and that’s what she decided to do with her life. She didn’t like the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She wanted to explore and do exciting things that girls weren’t supposed to be able to do. Only men had the exciting jobs. She followed her heart and eventually became a NASA astronaut and the first woman to walk in space. Kathy wanted to see the whole world and so she did; from space!
To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space is a simple look at some of the struggles Kathy Sullivan faced as a child, living the things that were not acceptable for girls to like. Thankfully she followed her heart and studied and researched all of the things she was interested in despite those that tried to change her focus. The illustrations are subtle and sweet, background watercolor-like images that show the activities and dreams of Sullivan, and chronicle some of her successes. I liked the additional information at the end about Kathy and other women that made history in the field. However, I thought the body of the book was a little too vague on what Kathy did to follow her dreams. We learned about her being told her interests and job prospects were intended for men, and about her cool flying experience, and a few other tidbits. However I felt like there was not much for young girls to learn about how Kathy went from dreamer to astronaut until the biographical page at the end of the book.

To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space is a nice book for young readers to show how important it is to follow your dreams, regardless of what others might saw. The information in the backwater was the most informative and interesting part as far as I was concerned, but found the idea behind the book and story to be reasonably well done.

Sophie and her six-year-old son spent January talking a lot about space thanks to BBC Stargazing live and British astronaut Tim Peake’s first spacewalk. To The Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space by Carmella Van Vleet and Dr. Kathy Sullivan is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that introduces kids (and adults) to former NASA astronaut Kathy Sullivan. Sullivan flew three space shuttle missions between 1984 and 1992, performing the first EVA (extra-vehicular activity) by an American woman on October 11, 1984.

The book mixes scenes from her childhood with those from her NASA missions, although Sophie felt that the book may have benefitted from being presented in chronological order as her young son seemed to struggle to grasp that the young girl and older lady were, in fact, the same person. The end of the book included a detailed biography of Kathy and a section of shorter bios of fourteen other female astronauts including Sally Ride, Christa McAuliffe, and Kalpana Chawla making the book a fantastic introduction to women in space.

I enjoyed this children's book about Kathy Sullivan. The story was interesting and I liked reading about Kathy's adventure heart as a child and as an adult. I really appreciated the more personal information about Kathy at the back of the book as well as a brief description of other women in space history. What great role models they are for children.

One aspect of the book that I didn't love was in the way it was told. I felt that it was a little disjointed in the way that it bounced back and forth between Kathy's life as a young girl and her adulthood. Other people may feel that it flows just fine but it didn't work very well for me.

The illustrations fit nicely with the overall story and added a great feel to the book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From her childhood to becoming the first woman to walk in space, "To The Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space" tells the fascinating tale of Kathy Sullivan. A science loving girl at a time when such things were frowned upon, Kathy persevered to study math and science and eventually get a job she loved. What was this job? An astronaut of course! In an age where everyone told her she couldn't do things because she was a woman, Kathy proved everyone wrong.

A magnificent tale of defying the odds and chasing dreams. This non-fiction tale will engage boys and girls of all ages. Educational and fun, children will be impressed by Kathy's hard work and determination. The illustrations are lovely and will have children seeking to learn more about Kathy Sullivan and space. The past to future, back and forth style, may be confusing for some younger children but with careful reading and parental guidance, they will be sure to grasp the adventure that was, and still is, Kathy Sullivan's life. An adventure that is not make believe, and will encourage young minds to think beyond their current surroundings and reach for the stars.

This is exactly the type of book that we need in order to encourage girls to stay interested in STEM jobs! It is equally important for boys to read this type of book showing that girls can (and do) achieve success in adventurous science fields. As a teacher and as a parent, I love this book!

I loved the switches from the past to the present. It explains how Kathy Sullivan's dreams actually came true, rather than just saying they did. It is helps that Kathy Sullivan is someone the kids wouldn't have heard of. Sometimes they feel like they aren't fulfilling their dreams unless they get famous. Plus my outer space book are in and out constantly and I can always use more.

The first female astronaut to walk in space was Dr. Kathy Sullivan. To the Stars! by Carmella Van Vleet tells her story. This picture book intersperses Kathy's childhood dreams and doings with pages showing what she ended up doing as an adult! So first she is a girl, dreaming of airplanes; then the next spread shows her packed bag preparing for a flight. First, we see her swimming as a child; then we see her swimming with astronaut gear on as she trains. Since we already know, from the title, that Kathy will go to the moon, this format works really well for this picture book. The end matter tells more about her life, her mission and spacewalk, and other women astronauts who were "firsts." Great biography, especially for a little astronaut want-to-be.