Small World

Written by Ishta Mercurio

Illustrated by Jen Corace

Abrams Books for Young Readers

978-1-4197-3407-6

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

July 2019

The world may seem like a big place, formidable at times, often too big to embrace, and sometimes unwelcoming but Ishta Mercurio's Small World shows young readers that the world you make from the people you let in and the places you go is the perfect size to fit your dreams in.

From Small World, illus. by Jen Corace, written by Ishta Mercurio

As a baby, Nanda's world was her mother's arms.

safe,
warm,
small.

From Small World, illus. by Jen Corace, written by Ishta Mercurio

As she grew, her circle grew wider to include her extended family who nurture her with food and play, until she can cultivate her own curiosity with school, playmates and dreams of space travel and engineering.

From Small World, illus. by Jen Corace, written by Ishta Mercurio

Leaving home for college, Nanda moves from locales of "sun-kissed maze of wheat" through "pinecone-prickled mountains and the microscopic elegance of fractals in the snow" to the big city where she helps develop a "human-powered helicopter lifting toward the sky" before becoming a pilot and finally an astronaut.

From Small World, illus. by Jen Corace, written by Ishta Mercurio

Though she's looking at the depth and breadth of the universe with its stars and planets and our world as just a small part of it all, Nanda can still see Earth as safe, warm and small, as "a circle called home." 

Small World reminds us that life is a circle, carrying a child from the safety and smallness and warmth of our very first world in a mother's arms to a myriad of other worlds that overlap and permutate with time, place and content. There's a rhythm here that Ishta Mercurio embeds in her words, carrying Nanda from birth to extraordinary achievement, lifting her from needs for survival to dreams and realization. Moreover, Ishta Mercurio has made it all the more relevant with Nanda's diverse background and her aspirations in science and tech.

That circle of life and of worlds as round as that of our earth is perpetuated by Jen Corace's illustrations. From dinner plates and bubbles, trees and stars, Jen Corace's artwork, created with gouache, ink and pencil, is a study in shapes and angles and geometric form. The illustrations are saturated with patterns of lines and in fabrics, wallpaper, landscapes and structures like roller-coasters, creating a rich background for a girl who aspires and inspires.

A study in perspective and dreaming big, Small World takes Nanda, and readers along with her, on a journey where anything is possible when you create a world that right for you.

Meet Chris Hadfield (Scholastic Canada Biography)

Written by Elizabeth MacLeod

Illustrated by Mike Deas

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-6389-7

32 pp.

Ages 6-10

August 2018

Just last night, CBC televised the 2018 Canada Walk of Fame gala at which Chris Hadfield was among the guests of honour being celebrated. Though most Canadians, young and old alike, will know Chris Hadfield as the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space, Meet Chris Hadfield will enlighten young readers about how he was able to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut.

From Meet Chris Hadfield by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

From his television viewing of the first moon walk in July 1969, Chris wondered about the possibilities of going into space. His hard work on the family farm and in school, as well as joining the Air Cadets, helped steer a young Chris to a life in the Canadian Armed Forces, having earned a degree in mechanical engineering before training as a fighter pilot. In 1992, he was chosen as one of Canada's newest astronauts, extensively training for three years, including learning Russian, before travelling to space in 1995 as a mission specialist whose work included operating the Canadarm. 

For his second mission in 2001, Chris was tasked with helping to add new sections to the International Space Station (ISS) which would require him to leave the ISS and walk in space. Even through a terrifying mishap which temporarily blinded him, Chris and his fellow astronauts successfully completed their missions. 

From Meet Chris Hadfield by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

Back on Earth, Chris worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space centre in Houston, training other astronauts and working as the voice of Mission Control, and then as NASA's Director of Operations in Russia. It wasn't until 2012 that he returned to space, this time as the commander of the ISS for 146 days. Readers will learn details about the ISS as well as how the astronauts ate and stayed clean and in shape. But Elizabeth MacLeod makes sure to discuss Chris Hadfield's efforts to get people excited about space. His social media postings, engaging with schools, singing, and helping to create a music video with David Bowie are all mentioned.

From Meet Chris Hadfield by Elizabeth MacLeod, illus. by Mike Deas

Upon his return to earth, Chris Hadfield has continued his mission to get everyone excited about space.  Through his speaking engagements, publication of his children's book (The Darkest Dark, 2016), or promotion of space education (check out his website), Chris Hadfield pursues objectives of education and appreciation of our world and those beyond.

Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas could have just told the dry facts of Chris Hadfield's background but, by making it  an illustrated story, Meet Chris Hadfield delves a little deeper and gives children the anecdotes that will be most relevant to them. It's about dreaming and working hard and having fun while engaging with others about your passion. Timeline details of his life are appended, alongside a few photos, but it's with Elizabeth MacLeod's text and Mike Deas's revealing but lively artwork that Meet Chris Hadfield will continue to stimulate interest in space as well as in being good citizens on Earth in ways that Chris Hadfield might never have dreamed.

 A French-language edition, Voici Chris Hadfield (978-1-4431-6390-3), is also available.