Review
A first-person journey to Mars, to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell," with additional space exploration facts.Through text that reads to the tune of the familiar children's song, readers join four children—all of different skin tone and hair color—as they climb aboard a rocket headed for Mars. Each verse introduces new astronautic concepts and vocabulary, from the "launch" on Earth to the exploration of Mars. Readers become crew members and take part in life on the spacecraft: "I squirt myself clean"; "We sleep on the walls"; "Our greens grow in bags"; "Cycling keeps us strong." As the children enter zero gravity and float around the page, so do the words, often requiring readers to turn the book. Lendroth includes second-person point-of-view paragraphs set in smaller type that delve deeper into astronautic facts, inviting readers' interaction and preparing them for an exciting trip into space. Kolar's detailed yet cheerful illustrations, done in his familiar, matte, graphically bold style, encourage an engaging and positive outlook on being an astronaut. Overall, the words flow well with the tune and, together with the often-upside-down illustrations, create the perspective of being in space. An amusing sing-along read-aloud to introduce space exploration and astronautics.
—Kirkus Reviews
This picture book about a diverse team of kids traveling in a rocket ship to Mars has arresting illustrations and a wealth of information. Its subtitle bills it as “a space-age version of ‘The Farmer in the Dell’,” and the main text follows the old rhyme’s pattern and cadence, albeit awkwardly at times. For example, a spread devoted to bathing in space proclaims, “I squirt myself clean.” This makes reading aloud a particular challenge, as does a zero-gravity-inspired layout that requires the book to be regularly rotated. And a burned question posed by the kids —“How long till we get there?”—isn’t answered until the ending information page. What does come through are fascinating details about the stages of a journey to Mars, from launch through arrival and exploration, and what life is like on a rocket ship, all provided in bite-size, factual blurbs scattered throughout. The digital illustrations are gasp-inducing, and the contrast between the four children and the immensity of space is done beautifully. For space enthusiasts. —Booklist
About the Author
Susan Lendroth grew tomatoes in her backyard when she was a kid. Now she grows herbs on the kitchen windowsill in Southern California. Susan is the author of Calico Dorsey; Maneki Neko; Ocean Wide, Ocean Deep; Why Explore?; and Hey-Ho, to Mars We'll Go!
Growing up, Bob Kolar was mesmerized by the Apollo missions. He is now the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Stomp! Stomp!(NorthSouth) and the Astroblast! series (Scholastic), the basis for the Sprout TV show. He is also the illustrator of The Boy and the Book; Slickety Quick: Poems about Sharks (Candlewick); and The Little Dump Truck (Henry Holt). When he's not writing and illustrating books, Bob teaches art at the Kansas City Art Institute.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The rocket’s on the pad,
The rocket’s on the pad.
Hey-ho, to Mars we’ll go—
The rocket’s on the pad.
When you jump into the air, gravity pulls you back to the ground. Launching a rocket into space is hard because the Earth’s gravity is pulling the rocket in the opposite direction. The bigger and heavier the rocket, the more power you need to break free from the gravitational pull.
We launch with a roar,
We launch with a roar.
Hey-ho, to Mars we’ll go—
We launch with a ROOOOOAR!
To travel to Mars you will need a spaceship big enough to carry you and your crew, your food, your water, and all of your supplies. It’s easier to launch such a big spaceship from orbit than from Earth.
You could build the spaceship in space, carrying up one piece at a time on several trips. That’s how astronauts built the International Space Station that now orbits Earth. Once your Mars spaceship is assembled, you will travel to it in a smaller rocket.
