Dinah L. Moche (1936–2018)

Elizabeth and Jimmy Baldwin are taking their first airplane trip and they are traveling all by themselves to vist their grandparents. The book describes everything that happens on their trip and what all the different airline employees do to help get them safely to their destination. The illustrations show everything they will see and also the control tower and cockpit. This is an excellent book to share with a child before their first airplane experience.

I found this book before I took my show more granddaughter on our first airplane trip. The descriptive illustrations and text helped her understand exactly what to expect. Children seem to need the security of knowing what is happening next and this book delivers.

Good extensions for this book would be with a community helpers unit or when talking about different forms of transportation. show less

I read "The Star Wars Question and Answer Book About Space" 40 years ago now (deep sigh as I wonder where that time went) back when there seemed to be a lot more optimism about space travel. The book includes artist impressions about giant space stations that could house 100s of people and would be ready by that magical year of 2000. Shame the millennium bug stopped that from becoming a reality.

Overall, some good (if dated) introductory facts on space, and of course some drawings of C3PO and show more R2D2, picked presumably because they were the highest profile heroes that they wouldn't have had to pay royalties to. show less

I liked the book "If you were an...Astronaut," it had clear language, and was engaging its readers to answer and ask questions. The language was very clear because on page 14 the text says "The shuttle begins to orbit, or circle around." The text seemed very brief however, the definition of a more a difficult word for younger children was identified right in the sentence, making it easier to understand. The book engaged the readers by asking questions in the beginning of the book such as, show more "Will you help build a floating laboratory for scientists?" "What will you do so high above home?" These types of questions let the readers imagination wander into their own little world and think about what they would do if they were an astronaut. I believe engagement is the most important thing a book needs because it allows for differentiation. The big idea of this book was to inform its readers of the different things that astronauts have to do to go into space, some different training that must be complete, etc. It was very good and easy read and I was very interesting to find more things out about astronauts. show less

Young readers will learn about all kinds of amazing spacecraft and explore worlds beyond earth. Beginning with the first rockets in orbit to space explorers that will one day live in lunar or Martian bases, this readable narrative will appeal to all young space enthusiasts. A short space acronym list is included at the end of the narrative.

Astronomer, lecturer, and author Dinah L. Moche is the author of this book; the paintings are by Tom LaPadula. Photographs and artists’ conceptions are show more from NASA; National Space Society vice president Mark R. Chartrand served as a consultant.

Recommended. show less