Astronaut Handbook (review)

See review under Hayes, p. 472. Somewhere between "I wanna be a cowboy," ". . . a ballet dancer," ". . . a paleontologist," many primary schoolers pass through the "I wanna be an astronaut" phase. McCarthy offers them a brief overview of how to prepare and what to expect, highlighting some of the behaviors and interests that might lead to a space career. It will require a lot of study ("It isn't always easy, but stick with it!"), the ability to be a team player, some toughening and conditioning, and the choice of a specialty. Then you get to the good stuff—picking the bagged food you get to eat in space, checking out the zero-gravity toilet, getting fitted for a space suit, and taking "the ride of your life." There's little depth to the text itself, but the pictures add substantial visual information, and a final page of "fascinating facts" adds more information. This is trimmed to just the right size, though, for preschoolers long on interest but short on attention span, and the cartoon-style astronauts-in-training, with their wide-set pop-eyes and stubby bodies, embrace their training and first flight with the innocent enthusiasm of overgrown rug rats. Matte colors and thickly outlined shapes will display nicely to a group of floor-sitters. Additional resources and a list of suggested places to visit are appended.