{"id":4523789484111,"title":"Night Night, Curiosity","handle":"night-night-curiosity","description":"\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/brianna-caplan-sayres\"\u003eBrianna Caplan Sayres\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/ryan-orourke\"\u003eRyan O'Rourke\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDad flies me up the stairway – I'm blasting off for Mars...\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne girl's star-studded imagination transforms the comfort of home into the final frontier in this sweetly lyrical rhyming story. While Mom works the night shift at NASA's control room, Dad helps our intrepid young explorer get ready for bed. Step by step, each part of the bedtime routine transforms into the stages of a Martian mission. A piggyback ride upstairs becomes a blastoff sequence; a goodnight video call to Mom becomes a message to mission control from outer space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIgnite dreams of space travel with this bedtime read-aloud by bestselling author-illustrator dream team Brianna Caplan Sayres and Ryan O'Rourke, vetted for accuracy by a NASA engineer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hey-ho-to-mars-well-go\"\u003eHey-Ho, to Mars We'll Go! \u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/daring-dozen\"\u003eDaring Dozen\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"spread\"\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-spread.jpg?v=1586543549\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrianna Caplan Sayres, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrianna Caplan Sayres is a former elementary school teacher who has written several books for children, including \u003cem\u003eWhere Do Diggers Sleep at Night?\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eWhere Do Steam Trains Sleep at Night? \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/brianna-caplan-sayres\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Brianna.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRyan O'Rourke, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRyan O'Rourke has illustrated picture books about trains (\u003cem\u003eAlphabet Trains\u003c\/em\u003e), trucks \u003cspan\u003e(\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlphabet Trucks\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e, boats \u003cspan\u003e(\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlphabet Boats\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e, construction equipment (\u003cem\u003eUp! Up! Up! Skyscraper\u003c\/em\u003e), and spacecraft (\u003cem\u003eEight Days Gone\u003c\/em\u003e), as well as many other topics. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/ryan-orourke\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Ryan. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA child with eyes on the skies fits an envisioned trip to Mars into the bedtime routine. After Mom has gone off to work a night shift at (as a later video call reveals) Mission Control, Dad flies the space-mad young narrator upstairs to wash up, snuggle down, and all the while imagine traveling with the Curiosity rover through space to land on Mars. In his russet-toned illustrations, O’Rourke bucks a common trend in the recent spate of entry-level tributes by not anthropomorphizing the durable rover. Consequently, the episode is animated less by artificial, fanciful elements than by the child’s native interest in space. The child’s astronomical enthusiasm is underscored in the pictures as the scene switches back and forth from Mars to good-night hugs and kisses in a bedroom festooned with space-themed furnishings and decorations. If Sayres’ verses aren’t exactly star quality (“We cuddle with my bedtime book… \/ We’re racing toward the sand. \/ Our parachute helps slow us down. \/ It’s time for us to land”) and the illustrator varies the child’s size from scene to scene, still the premise has a certain glow to it…and both rhymed part and prose afterword shed glimmers of background information about the rover’s mission. Child and parents appear to be White, but there are figures with darker skin in a crowd scene. It’s nice to see a vivid imagination at work even though this plods where it should soar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter her mother leaves for work as a NASA engineer, a young girl is readied for bedtime by her father. As they go through their nightly ritual of playtime, bath time, and story time, the young girl imagines herself on a space mission that mimics the one of the real-life Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012. This story is told through a series of quatrains in which the second and fourth lines rhyme. For the most part, the text chugs along nicely with a clear, if imperfect rhythm. However, a few awkward lines in the middle trip up the tongue and halt the gentle motion that propels the rest of the story. A wide range of color palettes is employed, from the soft sky blues and yellows of daytime, to the oranges and reds of a dusty Mars, to the dark purples and midnight blues of night here on Earth. Illustrations pair well with the text. For instance, when the girl is carried by her father up the stairs, she imagines being on a rocket soaring through the vast darkness of outer space. Smart use of white space shows us how the father’s care and stories give his little girl’s imagination room to grow. The title itself has a double meaning: It is the name of the real-life Mars rover the young girl imagines, and also the quality our young protagonist exhibits that will allow her to grow into a NASA engineer like her mother. Seeing a young girl foregrounded in a story about STEM is always inspiring; however, all of the approximately 20 people are light-skinned. VERDICT Despite this 21st-century space story’s lack of diversity, it is still a touching celebration of curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Night Night, Curiosity book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586543549\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-cover-hires.jpg.zip?v=1586543555\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-activity-guide.pdf?v=1596726697\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Teacher's Activity Guide\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58089-893-5\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-63289-762-6 EPUB\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 32\u003cbr\u003e8 x 10\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]","published_at":"2020-04-10T17:14:00-04:00","created_at":"2020-04-06T15:25:03-04:00","vendor":"Charlesbridge","type":"Children's Book","tags":["Browse by Age_Ages 3-6","Browse by Fiction\/Nonfiction_Fiction","Browse by Format_Picture Book","Browse by Language_English","Browse by Subject_Gift Books","Browse by Subject_Parent \u0026 Teacher","Browse by Subject_Parenting","Browse by Subject_Poetry \u0026 Language","Browse by Subject_Travel \u0026 Transportation"],"price":1699,"price_min":1699,"price_max":1699,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":31948730957903,"title":"Hardcover","option1":"Hardcover","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"98935","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":{"id":14545252352079,"product_id":4523789484111,"position":1,"created_at":"2020-04-10T14:42:06-04:00","updated_at":"2020-04-13T13:34:50-04:00","alt":"Night Night, Curiosity book cover","width":600,"height":750,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586799290","variant_ids":[31948730957903]},"available":true,"name":"Night Night, Curiosity - Hardcover","public_title":"Hardcover","options":["Hardcover"],"price":1699,"weight":369,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_quantity":10,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"978-1-58089-893-5","featured_media":{"alt":"Night Night, Curiosity book cover","id":6718342430799,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.8,"height":750,"width":600,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586799290"}},"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586799290"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586799290","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":"Night Night, Curiosity book cover","id":6718342430799,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.8,"height":750,"width":600,"src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586799290"},"aspect_ratio":0.8,"height":750,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586799290","width":600}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/brianna-caplan-sayres\"\u003eBrianna Caplan Sayres\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/ryan-orourke\"\u003eRyan O'Rourke\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDad flies me up the stairway – I'm blasting off for Mars...\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne girl's star-studded imagination transforms the comfort of home into the final frontier in this sweetly lyrical rhyming story. While Mom works the night shift at NASA's control room, Dad helps our intrepid young explorer get ready for bed. Step by step, each part of the bedtime routine transforms into the stages of a Martian mission. A piggyback ride upstairs becomes a blastoff sequence; a goodnight video call to Mom becomes a message to mission control from outer space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIgnite dreams of space travel with this bedtime read-aloud by bestselling author-illustrator dream team Brianna Caplan Sayres and Ryan O'Rourke, vetted for accuracy by a NASA engineer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hey-ho-to-mars-well-go\"\u003eHey-Ho, to Mars We'll Go! \u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/daring-dozen\"\u003eDaring Dozen\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"spread\"\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-spread.jpg?v=1586543549\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrianna Caplan Sayres, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrianna Caplan Sayres is a former elementary school teacher who has written several books for children, including \u003cem\u003eWhere Do Diggers Sleep at Night?\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eWhere Do Steam Trains Sleep at Night? \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/brianna-caplan-sayres\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Brianna.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRyan O'Rourke, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRyan O'Rourke has illustrated picture books about trains (\u003cem\u003eAlphabet Trains\u003c\/em\u003e), trucks \u003cspan\u003e(\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlphabet Trucks\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e, boats \u003cspan\u003e(\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlphabet Boats\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e, construction equipment (\u003cem\u003eUp! Up! Up! Skyscraper\u003c\/em\u003e), and spacecraft (\u003cem\u003eEight Days Gone\u003c\/em\u003e), as well as many other topics. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/ryan-orourke\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Ryan. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA child with eyes on the skies fits an envisioned trip to Mars into the bedtime routine. After Mom has gone off to work a night shift at (as a later video call reveals) Mission Control, Dad flies the space-mad young narrator upstairs to wash up, snuggle down, and all the while imagine traveling with the Curiosity rover through space to land on Mars. In his russet-toned illustrations, O’Rourke bucks a common trend in the recent spate of entry-level tributes by not anthropomorphizing the durable rover. Consequently, the episode is animated less by artificial, fanciful elements than by the child’s native interest in space. The child’s astronomical enthusiasm is underscored in the pictures as the scene switches back and forth from Mars to good-night hugs and kisses in a bedroom festooned with space-themed furnishings and decorations. If Sayres’ verses aren’t exactly star quality (“We cuddle with my bedtime book… \/ We’re racing toward the sand. \/ Our parachute helps slow us down. \/ It’s time for us to land”) and the illustrator varies the child’s size from scene to scene, still the premise has a certain glow to it…and both rhymed part and prose afterword shed glimmers of background information about the rover’s mission. Child and parents appear to be White, but there are figures with darker skin in a crowd scene. It’s nice to see a vivid imagination at work even though this plods where it should soar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter her mother leaves for work as a NASA engineer, a young girl is readied for bedtime by her father. As they go through their nightly ritual of playtime, bath time, and story time, the young girl imagines herself on a space mission that mimics the one of the real-life Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012. This story is told through a series of quatrains in which the second and fourth lines rhyme. For the most part, the text chugs along nicely with a clear, if imperfect rhythm. However, a few awkward lines in the middle trip up the tongue and halt the gentle motion that propels the rest of the story. A wide range of color palettes is employed, from the soft sky blues and yellows of daytime, to the oranges and reds of a dusty Mars, to the dark purples and midnight blues of night here on Earth. Illustrations pair well with the text. For instance, when the girl is carried by her father up the stairs, she imagines being on a rocket soaring through the vast darkness of outer space. Smart use of white space shows us how the father’s care and stories give his little girl’s imagination room to grow. The title itself has a double meaning: It is the name of the real-life Mars rover the young girl imagines, and also the quality our young protagonist exhibits that will allow her to grow into a NASA engineer like her mother. Seeing a young girl foregrounded in a story about STEM is always inspiring; however, all of the approximately 20 people are light-skinned. VERDICT Despite this 21st-century space story’s lack of diversity, it is still a touching celebration of curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Night Night, Curiosity book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-cover.jpg?v=1586543549\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-cover-hires.jpg.zip?v=1586543555\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/night-night-curiosity-activity-guide.pdf?v=1596726697\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Teacher's Activity Guide\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58089-893-5\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-63289-762-6 EPUB\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 32\u003cbr\u003e8 x 10\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]"}

Night Night, Curiosity

By: Brianna Caplan Sayres / Illustrated by: Ryan O'Rourke

Dad flies me up the stairway – I'm blasting off for Mars...

One girl's star-studded imagination transforms the comfort of home into the final frontier in this sweetly lyrical rhyming story. While Mom works the night shift at NASA's control room, Dad helps our intrepid young explorer get ready for bed. Step by step, each part of the bedtime routine transforms into the stages of a Martian mission. A piggyback ride upstairs becomes a blastoff sequence; a goodnight video call to Mom becomes a message to mission control from outer space.

Ignite dreams of space travel with this bedtime read-aloud by bestselling author-illustrator dream team Brianna Caplan Sayres and Ryan O'Rourke, vetted for accuracy by a NASA engineer.

Maximum quantity available reached.

Brianna Caplan Sayres, author

Brianna Caplan Sayres is a former elementary school teacher who has written several books for children, including Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? and Where Do Steam Trains Sleep at Night? 

Read more about Brianna.


Ryan O'Rourke, illustrator

Ryan O'Rourke has illustrated picture books about trains (Alphabet Trains), trucks (Alphabet Trucks), boats (Alphabet Boats), construction equipment (Up! Up! Up! Skyscraper), and spacecraft (Eight Days Gone), as well as many other topics. 

Read more about Ryan. 

  • Coming soon!

Kirkus Reviews

A child with eyes on the skies fits an envisioned trip to Mars into the bedtime routine. After Mom has gone off to work a night shift at (as a later video call reveals) Mission Control, Dad flies the space-mad young narrator upstairs to wash up, snuggle down, and all the while imagine traveling with the Curiosity rover through space to land on Mars. In his russet-toned illustrations, O’Rourke bucks a common trend in the recent spate of entry-level tributes by not anthropomorphizing the durable rover. Consequently, the episode is animated less by artificial, fanciful elements than by the child’s native interest in space. The child’s astronomical enthusiasm is underscored in the pictures as the scene switches back and forth from Mars to good-night hugs and kisses in a bedroom festooned with space-themed furnishings and decorations. If Sayres’ verses aren’t exactly star quality (“We cuddle with my bedtime book… / We’re racing toward the sand. / Our parachute helps slow us down. / It’s time for us to land”) and the illustrator varies the child’s size from scene to scene, still the premise has a certain glow to it…and both rhymed part and prose afterword shed glimmers of background information about the rover’s mission. Child and parents appear to be White, but there are figures with darker skin in a crowd scene. It’s nice to see a vivid imagination at work even though this plods where it should soar.

School Library Journal

After her mother leaves for work as a NASA engineer, a young girl is readied for bedtime by her father. As they go through their nightly ritual of playtime, bath time, and story time, the young girl imagines herself on a space mission that mimics the one of the real-life Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012. This story is told through a series of quatrains in which the second and fourth lines rhyme. For the most part, the text chugs along nicely with a clear, if imperfect rhythm. However, a few awkward lines in the middle trip up the tongue and halt the gentle motion that propels the rest of the story. A wide range of color palettes is employed, from the soft sky blues and yellows of daytime, to the oranges and reds of a dusty Mars, to the dark purples and midnight blues of night here on Earth. Illustrations pair well with the text. For instance, when the girl is carried by her father up the stairs, she imagines being on a rocket soaring through the vast darkness of outer space. Smart use of white space shows us how the father’s care and stories give his little girl’s imagination room to grow. The title itself has a double meaning: It is the name of the real-life Mars rover the young girl imagines, and also the quality our young protagonist exhibits that will allow her to grow into a NASA engineer like her mother. Seeing a young girl foregrounded in a story about STEM is always inspiring; however, all of the approximately 20 people are light-skinned. VERDICT Despite this 21st-century space story’s lack of diversity, it is still a touching celebration of curiosity.

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-58089-893-5

E-book
ISBN: 978-1-63289-762-6 EPUB

Ages: 3-7
Page count: 32
8 x 10