Mae Among the Stars

“If you can dream it….”

Not so much a biography but a testament to the power of supporting a child’s dreams. Mae Among the Stars introduces us to a young girl, who hopes one day to see the Earth from space. With warm, inviting illustrations, we follow our young dreamer as she reads about space, creates astronaut costumes and spaceships, and draws pictures of what she might see as she dances among the stars. At school, when Mae shares her plans to become an astronaut, she is ridiculed by her classmates and discouraged by her teacher who suggests she pursue nursing, “a good profession for someone like you.”  A despondent Mae returns home and there, receives the refrain of support and encouragement of her parents. Our heroine’s spirit restored, she vows to wave to her parents from space one day. And she did. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman accepted into the NASA’s Astronaut training program and in 1992, finally flew in space.  

This little picture book has drawn criticism from adult reviewers with a variety of grievances such as not enough information about Jemison’s accomplishments, how she reached her goal, and an overly simplistic view of how one becomes successful.

But I still love this book. Why?

The insensitive teacher who is ultimately proven wrong, the powerful demonstration of resilience that comes when young people receive consistent messages of belief and support, and the underlying message that every child has the right to dream.