Space science is always a popular subject among young children. The amazing ability of rockets and astronauts to go to places that are hard to imagine, not to mention understand, at an early age fascinates and intrigues!

Mae Among the Stars is the perfect picture book to use as a foundation for a STEM space challenge. It is a biography sparse in words, but big in conveying determination, perseverance, and goal-setting. A positive lesson for our aspiring astronauts.

The included back matter shares exactly how Dr. Mae Jemison achieved her lifelong goal of seeing Earth from space. The illustrations are large, colorful portrayals of important events in her early childhood that helped shape the astronaut she became.

Featured Picture Book:

Mae Among the Stars (2018)

Written by Roda Ahmed

Illustrated by Stasia Burrington

Publisher’s Summary:

A beautiful picture book for sharing and marking special occasions such as graduation, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the perfect book for young readers who have big dreams and even bigger hearts.

When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.

She wanted to be an astronaut.

Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”

Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.

This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination.

Related Themes and Standards:

• Earth’s place in the universe
• Using observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns
• Engineering: solving a problem through a new or improved object or tool
• SEL: growth mindset, perseverance, self-confidence, curiosity, and goal-setting

STEM Ideas:

• Have students engineer a new helmet (or other piece of equipment astronauts might use) out of recycled materials.
• Have students conduct experiments with straw rockets.
• Students can research Mae and other astronauts and conduct mock interviews. Record and post them on your class website or Padlet, and have a viewing party.
• Create pocket constellation viewers so students can recreate the page in the story where Mae is looking at the stars.
• Have students engineer and conduct the always-a-favorite Alka-Seltzer rocket launches outside.