About this item
Highlights
- A girl who loves solo space travel learns that having a partner can be even better.Avni loves being the only astronaut in her space station.
- 3-7 Years
- 11.1" x 8.5" Hardcover
- 40 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Imagination & Play
Description
About the Book
"Space travel is the best, but making space for friends is better. An imaginative only child named Avni enjoys the perks of being the only astronaut in her space station (a. k. a. home). She can take off whenever she wants, commands a whole rocket ship by herself, and never has to wait her turn. But when space exploration becomes too much work for a solo astronaut, she goes on a mission in her neighborhood to find a capable assistant ... with unexpected results. The Only Astronaut celebrates the power of imagination, perseverance, and collaboration without compromising one's goals."--Book Synopsis
A girl who loves solo space travel learns that having a partner can be even better.
Avni loves being the only astronaut in her space station. She's in charge of when she takes off and where she goes. But space exploration can be a lot of work for one astronaut. It's time for a new mission: find an assistant. Avni crisscrosses the distant galaxies (her neighborhood) in search of the perfect partner. Does that even exist? Will Avni make space for a copilot or will it be mission impossible?
Award-winning author Mahak Jain has crafted a witty and wonderful story about friendship, imagination and the thrill of a good adventure. Andrea Stegmaier's dynamic and highly detailed art uses line drawing overlays in orange, for Avni, and blue, for Aya, to cleverly depict the world as seen in each of their imaginations. It's a terrific representation of a child making room for both their own creativity and another's perspective. Avni's regular mantra, "An astronaut never gives up," celebrates the power of perseverance and collaboration without compromising one's goals. This book highlights the character education concepts of teamwork, cooperation, adaptability and resilience. It also offers an invitation to children to use their imaginations and remain open to the exciting possibilities of exploration (as astronauts or aquanauts!).
Review Quotes
Showcasing imaginative play and creative engineering, this tale homes in on youngsters' ambitions and focused passions ... Both STEM encouragement and friendship navigation, all while reaching for the stars.--Kirkus Reviews
The Only Astronaut combines several important themes for this age group, including friendship, failure as part of the learning process, and persistence. It is also a welcome addition to the STEAM bookshelf as it features a diverse cast of characters. Mahak Jain and Andrea Stegmaier were excellent copilots of this sweet story of perseverance and friendship.--CM Magazine
About the Author
Mahak Jain is a writer and editor. Her picture book Maya (Owlkids Books), illustrated by Elly MacKay, was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a CBC Books Best Book of the Year, and winner of the 2017 South Asia Book Award. Mahak lives in Toronto.Andrea Stegmaier is an illustrator and architect who has worked on many children's books, including AAAlligator! (Kids Can Press) by Judith Henderson. She lives in Stuttgart, Germany.