Written by José M. Hernández
Illustrated by Steven James Petruccio
ISBN:
978-1-55885-882-4
Publication Date: May 31, 2019
Bind: Hardcover
Pages: 32
This autobiographical, bilingual picture
book recounts the author’s rise from migrant farm worker to astronaut!
Every night when he was a boy, José M.
Hernández would look out the window and stare at the stars. They were different
colors: blue, yellow and white. Some were larger and brighter than others, and
some twinkled as if they were alive. Later, when he saw man land on the moon on
TV, he knew he wanted to be an astronaut.
But José struggled in school because his
family moved constantly and he didn’t speak English. His parents were migrant
workers from Mexico; they followed the crops up and down the state of
California. José was in second grade when his teacher convinced his parents to
stop migrating and stay in the United States. She also encouraged his love of
astronomy, books and learning.
José became an electrical engineer, got
married and had a family, and though he was very happy, he never stopped
thinking about his dream. So he applied to NASA to become an astronaut. His
application was rejected eleven times, but he kept applying. He was finally
selected for astronaut school and achieved his dream when he flew on the Space
Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station!
With beautiful illustrations by Steven
Petruccio, this heartwarming, bilingual picture book will introduce children
ages 5 – 9 to the concept of space travel. The author’s story is sure to
motivate kids to set goals and reach for their own dreams.
Review
“Working the fields of California’s
Central Valley by day and staring up at the stars by night, young José M.
Hernández had an impossible dream: to become an astronaut. Even though the
U.S.-born migrant farmworker didn’t speak English until he was 12, José swore
he would realize that dream. With his Mexican parents’ support, he followed his
father’s “recipe” for success: “Identify my goal, determine how long it would
take me to achieve it and create a plan to reach it.” His mother added that he
should strive for excellence in school, and José contributed his own special
ingredient: “never ever give up!” After earning degrees in electrical
engineering, he applied to NASA and was rejected—11 times. In order to better
his chances of entering the program, he became a pilot, was certified as a
scuba diver, and learned Russian. NASA finally accepted his 12th application,
and in 2009 he blasted into space. Hernández’ descriptive narrative flows
effortlessly in both English and Baeza Ventura’s Spanish translation and is
easily accessible. Petruccio’s colorful and detailed paintings bring this
amazing adventure to life, hazy backgrounds giving the scenes a pleasing dreamlike
quality. Hernández closes his account with a heartfelt exhortation to readers
to pursue their own dreams, asking them “Which stars do you want to touch?”
This outstanding bilingual autobiography encapsulates the life -changing power
of having a goal and the will to achieve it.”—Kirkus Reviews, (Starred Review)
JOSÉ M. HERNÁNDEZ obtained undergraduate
and graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering, and in 2004 he was selected to
be part of the 19th class of US Astronauts. He achieved his life-long dream to
become an astronaut in 2009 when he served as the flight engineer on the Space
Shuttle Discovery on the STS-128 fourteen-day mission to the International
Space Station. He lives in Stockton, California, where he is president and CEO
of an engineering firm.
STEVEN JAMES PETRUCCIO has been a
professional artist for more than thirty years, illustrating over eighty
picture books, including for the award-winning series, the Smithsonian Oceanic
Collection. In 2012, Steven received the Rip Van Winkle Award from the School
Library Media Specialists of Southeastern New York for his contributions to
children’s literature.
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