Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa
by Doreen Rappaport; illus. by Oliver Dominguez
Primary    Little, Brown    48 pp.
9/23    9780759554948    $19.99

Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina astronaut in space, said that when she was young, “No one would ever ask a girl, ‘Do you want to grow up and be an astronaut?’” This picture-book biography cites her mother, who finished college later in life, and her lifelong love of learning as her biggest inspirations for breaking boundaries to blast off. Ochoa earned her doctorate from Stanford University in 1985, interviewed twice before being accepted into NASA’s astronaut program in 1990, and finally realized her dream with a mission in 1993. The text is informative and lively and features Ochoa’s own words, some of which are from interviews Rappaport did with the astronaut. She presents a well-rounded image of Ochoa’s life, including her flute-playing in concerts on the ground and in space and outreach work to promote girls’ education. Dominguez’s detailed paintings (also created with Ochoa’s input) give insight into Ochoa’s entire journey of becoming an astronaut, from completing sci-fi-looking lab work in graduate school to brushing her teeth upside down in zero gravity. Pastel-hued scenes of Ochoa’s training and flights into space—in particular, a spread of her learning to parachute—radiate the joy with which the astronaut approached her life’s pursuit. Author and illustrator notes share information about researching and creating the book; a timeline and selected bibliography are also appended.

From the September/October 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.