ASTRONAUT SISTERS

3…2…1! Blast off with the astronaut sisters!

Snowsuits and bike helmets become spacesuits and space helmets as Rosie and Fern rummage through their closet. An intergalactic trip to the playground with Papa launches the girls through the clouds as an imaginary adventure takes flight. They gaze down at the earth below and float alongside a space station that circles our planet 16 times in one day. The next morning, Papa drives the siblings, dressed once more in their spacesuits, to a special parade—a homecoming celebration for a real astronaut. But this isn’t just any astronaut; it’s Rosie and Fern’s mother! Their reunion amid a cheering crowd is a touching testament to Mama’s influence over the girls’ dreams and aspirations, manifesting through play. Colorful cartoon illustrations with scrawled black outlines lend a sweetness to the children’s lively game. The youngsters are brown-skinned; one of them has dark hair to match their brown-skinned Mama’s, while the other has orange hair like their light-skinned Papa’s. The crowd at the parade varies in terms of skin tone, body type, clothing, and head coverings.

A joyous ode to the power of play, the bond between sisters, and the vital representation of women in STEM.