ASTRONAUTS

Astronauts train, ride a Soyuz rocket up a slider to the International Space Station, then return to Earth when their mission is done.

This introduction is so sketchy that the narrative and the pictures differ on the actual number of astronauts involved, and the captions offer a mix of specific facts and fragmentary filler (“The third stage includes an engine”; “The spacesuit provides oxygen for breathing”). Nevertheless, this quick overview of a generic visit to the ISS does reflect both the international character of space missions (at least currently) and the diversity of modern flight crews. Aside from the sliding Soyuz, there are only two small pop-ups, but each of the five openings features cut or folded flaps with additional information or inside views beneath. Along with simply drawn spacecraft and technical gear, Peintre casts a mixed crew of men and women, mostly light skinned but some with darker skin and/or puffy hair. Though individualized, they seem to be just interchangeable place holders, as in one scene the same figure appears twice. The interactive effects are larger and more varied in the co-published Savannah Animals, also by Dussaussois but illustrated by Aurélie Verdon.

A dud rocket.