Bonnie's father is an engineer for the Apollo 11 space mission. Bonnie is an engineer too, developing a rocket ship that she plans to shoot high into the sky. While Baba works on the moon—landing module at the space center in far—off Florida, Bonnie designs, builds, and tests her own rocket —— with sometimes disastrous results! Throughout the process, Baba's letters encourage her in her work, and after the astronauts return from the moon, Baba comes home in time to see Bonnie launch her amazing rocket.
Inspired by the experiences of the author's grandfather, who helped design the space suits and life—support systems for the Apollo 11 mission, Bonnie's Rocket reminds us of the importance of the contributions of people of color in the United States's greatest achievements. It's also a heartwarming father—daughter story, and a terrific gift for budding engineers of all kinds.
Emeline Lee grew up hearing stories about her grandfather's work on the Apollo 11 moon landing, which inspired her own fascination with science. She studied English literature and environmental sustainability at Columbia University, and she now works in the solar energy sector in New York City. This is her first picture book. Find her on the web at emelinelee.com and follow her on Twitter at @EmelineLeeBooks.
Alina Chau dreamed of being an astronaut when she grew up, but instead went on to a career as an award—winning artist and filmmaker. She illustrated The Nian Monster, which received the 2018 APALA Picture Book Honor, alongside many other beautiful picture books. Her animation credits include Star Wars: The Clone Wars and numerous best—selling games. She lives in southern California. Visit her website at alinachau.com and find her on Instagram at @alinachau.
Key Selling Points
Like Hidden Figures, the book demonstrates the presence and importance of people of color during a major national initiative like NASA's moon shot.
Bonnie's rocket—building process demonstrates sound engineering design principles . . .
. . . and her determination in the face of setbacks models resilience for children.
Stories about girl engineers are very popular in the market (witness Rosie Revere, Engineer), but have primarily focused on white protagonists thus far.
A heartwarming father—daughter story, published just in time for Father's Day.
Backmatter includes an activity where children can build a rocket of their own, as well as an author's note describing her grandfather's work on the Apollo 11 mission.
The story offers other rich activity/educational possibilities: research your family history, write a letter to a family member . . .
Keynote
Rosie Revere, Engineer meets Hidden Figures in this inspiring story about a Chinese American girl who builds her own rocket ship while her father works on the Apollo 11 mission.
Comp Titles
978—141970—845—9 Rosie Revere, Engineer $18.99
978—006274—246—9 Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race $17.99
978—052564—741—6 How We Got to the Moon $29.99
978—006265—173—0 Mae Among the Stars $17.99
978—155453—704—4 The Most Magnificent Thing $18.99
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