Rocket, a brown-skinned, bespectacled child with a telescope about as big as she is, is always “looking up. I here are lots of facts about space and meteor showers in the book, including about the first women in space.

Rocket Says Look Up by Nathan Bryon illustrated by Dapo Rocket Says Look Up by Nathan Bryon illustrated by Dapo

Sprinkled with facts about meteors and space, this charming picture book is also a lovely representation of family, sibling relationships and one girl’s infectious enthusiasm. The bright, digital illustrations are an exuberant celebration of both space and black culture that will simultaneously inspire and ground readers.If you use it in any marketing material, online or anywhere on a published book without asking permission from me first, I will ask you to remove that use immediately. When a meteor shower is set to appear she decides to make posters and invite all the people to watch it with her in the park. DAPO ADEOLA is an illustrator, author, and character designer who was awarded Illustrator of the Year at The British Book Awards in 2022. What a startling reminder for me as a parent that every moment my eyes are on my phone, is a moment I am missing interacting with the people around me.

Look Up! by Nathan Bryon, Dapo Adeola | Waterstones Look Up! by Nathan Bryon, Dapo Adeola | Waterstones

Ideal for space or science-inclined readers, this book includes brief information about outstanding scientist Jemison and a short list of facts about meteors and comets enclosed in an embrace of family relationships and a child’s joy in the world around her. I like that Jamal is rocking a high-top fade and the mom rocks a short natural haircut with some big gold earrings!Although Jamal spends the majority of the story stuck on his phone, we also see him get annoyed by his little sister’s antics. Rocket wants to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher and space-traveller who has ever lived, just like Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.

ROCKET SAYS LOOK UP! | Kirkus Reviews ROCKET SAYS LOOK UP! | Kirkus Reviews

Even though this is a picture book, it incorporates so many important messages into one small story! It is very interesting to look at the illustrations and see how every interaction Rocket is having with another person, Jamal is missing because his eyes are locked on his phone. A delightful and educational book for young readers interested in space travel, with colourful illustrations, large-print text, fun facts, diverse characters and heartfelt father-daughter interactions. I like how extroverted and talkative Rocket is and her infectious enthusiasm to see the meteor shower.Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola’s charming picture book gifts us with a gorgeous character in Rocket, a girl whose passion for all things space is as inspiring to the reader as her heroine Mae Jemison is to her. On one page, these facts were dropped one after the other and we see Jamal look down at her obviously annoyed and over meteor showers, lol. Inspired by Mae Jemison, Rocket, a supercute black girl with braids and a coiffed Afro, hopes to be “the greatest astronaut, star catcher, and space walker who has ever lived. Adeola has a real talent for portraying expression, from teen Jamal’s sulks to Rocket’s jubilation at watching the stars. Just because you’re nice, / doesn’t mean you can’t get mean” depicts the older one berating the younger one for tracking mud into the house.

Rocket Says Look Up! by Nathan Bryon: 9781984894427 Rocket Says Look Up! by Nathan Bryon: 9781984894427

As the night of the Phoenix meteor shower approaches, Rocket makes fliers inviting everyone in her neighborhood to see the cosmic event at the park. Yes, we should be encouraged to be aware and participatory of the world around us, but please don't bash me over the head with the message. The final page unites the characters from earlier pages with a reassuring message for readers: “Just because the sun has set, / doesn’t mean it will not rise. Three stars to balance out the adorable illustrations and potential with the weird meandering story.Of course, I'm sure that they were a deliberate choice, and were meant to be endearingly geeky, but somehow my gaze was always being drawn to those round spectacles, making them more of a distraction than anything else. But then it kind of morphs into a PSA to older kids/teens to stop looking at their cellphones and live in the now. The book also has lots of links to sibling relationships which is likely to be relatable for many children.