DANCING THROUGH SPACE

Early passions for science and for dance rocketed Mae Jemison into Earth’s orbit.

When introducing a young Mae, whose curiosity about the natural world was equaled only by her inability to sit still, Lukidis frames her brief portrait of the future astronaut around those twin qualities. So it was that science “gave her courage” and dance “gave her determination” to complete her medical studies, keep her body flexible and strong, and weather setbacks on the way to becoming “the first Black woman to fly into space.” As the shuttle orbited “in a slow choreography,” the author writes, Jemison “danced through space / and floated among the stars.” In Cloud’s illustrations, she stands out both for her balletic poses (on the ground as well as in microgravity) and as the one whose eyes are almost continually looking up and forward. In an afterword, the author includes a quote from Jemison about how science and dance are linked; Lukidis explains that the two “work together to give us a fuller understanding of who we are.” Along with adding further biographical detail, the closing timeline notes that Jemison was inspired by her own role models, astronaut Sally Ride and Star Trek actor Nichelle Nichols, to apply for the space program.

A quick but lyrical character study.