Seeing into the Unknown
Through the Telescope: Mae Jemison Dreams of Space
Have you ever dreamed of traveling in space, of seeing our Earth (a “Pale Blue Dot”) from over 150,000 miles away? Or maybe walking on the moon—or even visiting Mars? The picture book biography Through the Telescope: Mae Jemison Dreams of Space conveys beautifully a young girl’s dream to travel the universe.
Mae Jemison first glimpsed the stars through a telescope when she lived in Chicago and never lost her fascination with the Milky Way and the endless dark space beyond, with more galaxies to be envisioned. Her early fascination and subsequent determination in several scientific fields led her to become an astronaut, traveling on NASA’s space shuttle Endeavor in September 1992. Inspired by astronauts who embarked on missions in space a decade earlier, Jemison became “the first Black female astronaut to travel into space” when the Endeavor orbited the Earth 127 times in eight days.
Author Charles R. Smith Jr.’s well-chosen words propel readers through planetary space, echoing Mae’s imagined journey—troposphere, stratosphere, exosphere. Illustrations by Evening Monteiro are spectacularly spacious, with darks and lights moving forcefully across the pages. Mae’s young face, as she dreams of flying through the cosmos, is captivating. The wonder and excitement of exploring the unknown is palpable.
Readers will be inspired to pursue more information about galaxies named Sombrero, Whirlpool, Pinwheel, Fireworks, Sunflower and Needle, and the glowing constellations too. And what exactly is a light year?
The final page of this artful biography is titled “Mae Jemison Countdown” in which specifics of Jemison’s life are noted: her early love of dance and science; her two college degrees from Stanford University in chemical engineering and in African and African American Studies; her medical degree from Cornell; her fluency in several languages; and her selection as an astronaut from a large pool of candidates…prior to the liftoff of the Endeavor.
Sharing this book not only conveys the awe of traveling in space, it will immerse readers in the idea that people, such as Mae Jemison, have chosen to take the risk of space exploration and have done the hard work to become an astronaut. It can also start conversations about the usefulness of exploring space when so many other priorities exist here on Earth. Our country’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) posits: “The reasons to explore the universe are as vast and varied as the reasons to explore the forests, the mountains, or the sea. Since the dawn of humanity, people have explored to learn about the world around them, find new resources, and improve their existence.” What have been the benefits of exploring space? What do you think? Can you visit an observatory or planetarium to “see into space” and sense the unknown?
Ages 4-8. Orchard Books, 2025.
The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville AL presents a range of interesting information and news about space exploration, including the Artemis Moon Mission.