To the Stars!: The First American Woman to Walk in Space

Gr 2–5—A picture book biography of Sullivan, the first woman to do an extravehicular activity—more commonly known as a space walk—during her 1984 mission on the Challenger. Whimsical illustrations alternate between Sullivan as a young girl looking over her father's blueprints, daydreaming about seeing the world, and learning to fly and Sullivan as an adult training at NASA and riding the launch into space. The text supplies a subtle dose of girl power as readers witness Kathy succeeding despite sexist statements from friends and adults, such as "Girls don't like those jobs" and "Girls are supposed to be teachers or nurses or moms." Back matter includes a note from Sullivan about how she dreaded being asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?," as well as a short essay with more information on her and other female space pioneers. However, only American women are featured here; others, such as Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, are not mentioned. The simple text makes this volume a good option for a group read-aloud during a unit on space or Women's History Month, but there may not be enough substance here for school reports.