From Publishers Weekly
This poetic picture book imagines the childhood of Maria Mitchell, America's first woman astronomer. Like Hopkinson's previous heroines (Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt; Birdie's Lighthouse), Maria (pronounced ma-RYE-ah) possesses determination, a questioning spirit and a gentle heart. Though Maria helps her mother care for her eight siblings and keeps tidy their home on Nantucket Island in the early 1800s, she never loses her infectious love for the stars, a passion she inherited from her father. When her brother Andrew asks her to run away with him to a life on the sea, Maria determines, "I will be an explorer, but I want to sail the sea of stars." The author plants the seeds for Maria's later accomplishments (the first professor of astronomy at Vassar; a co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Women) in the first-person narrative: "Each constellation is a patchwork of stories/ passed down from the beginning of time." Lanino (The Littlest Angel) augments this powerful image with an equally potent rendering of Maria's rooftop communion with the stars, her eyes wide as the celestial configurations illuminate the sky. The artist closes the distance between earth and stars with the warmth and softness that permeate each illustration. This lilting story, combined with closing notes on both Mitchell and astronomy, will likely ignite further interest in its passionate protagonist. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-"But I want to sail the sea of stars/and learn about the deepest space./Maybe someday, I'll even find a comet." There's a poetic cast and plenty of foreshadowing in this fictionalized first-person account of Maria Mitchell's Nantucket childhood. The girl is much influenced by her astronomer father, who goes up to the roof of their house each night to "sweep the sky" with his telescope. Here her dream of following his avocation is sparked the night her older brother, Andrew, runs away to sea. The gentle story of daily life in Maria's large family features an attic scene in which brother and sister play with the treasures stored in their grandfather's sea chest and read from his trove of books. Warm, deep tones of brown and midnight blue suffuse the soft-edged, full-page acrylic views of the house, sky, and seaside town. Small vignettes nicely reflect added detail on facing pages of text. The well-structured story is fanciful and rich in poetic imagery that will work well for reading aloud. The construct of childhood dreams leading to adult achievement is appealing, as is the portrait of a strong, likable girl knowing her own mind. Children will find the homey detail of supportive family satisfying. The concluding author's note highlights the subject's later accomplishments and explains several astronomical terms used in the narrative.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
