I chose this book because I currently have a space display in the library. It’s a perfect addition to the display but I have to admit, I didn’t want to put it in the display — I wanted to keep it for myself. Back and forth it went, from the display book stand back into my hands. The writer, Libby Jackson, writes in a very compelling way, telling such interesting facts about space and those who have traveled there. Some examples:

1. While the Soviets successfully launched Sputnik the U.S. was still struggling to send their first rocket to space. The problem: they didn’t have fuel powerful enough to lift the rocket into space. The person who finally came up with the right fuel to launch the first U.S. rocket into space was a woman named Mary Sherman Morgan from my home state of North Dakota!
2. When Yuri Gagarin, the first human space traveler, completed his journey around the world, he was thrown off course in his spacecraft when it was time to land. His parachute opened and he landed in a large field. Yuri had no way to contact Mission Control to tell them that he landed safely. Yuri borrowed the phone of a nearby farmer to let Mission Control know that he was safe and alive.
3. While stuck in a traffic jam in 1990, Helen Sharman of Slough, England, heard on the radio that they were looking for astronauts to fly into space — no experience necessary. She jotted down the phone number and requested an application, along with 5,500 other people. Helen kept making the cuts until they were down to 150 applicants. She took part of a G-force test in which candidates were spun around at incredible speeds. While most people had to stop after 5 minutes, Helen made it to 15 minutes. Eventually the final two candidates were announced line on televisions from the Science Museum in London. Helen became the first British astronaut.

These and 22 other missions are discussed. While all illustrations are drawings, the book is brightly colored and beautiful to page through.