Meet Rocket.
- Rocket is clever and creative. (Have you seen her flyers for the Phoenix Meteor Shower tonight?)
- Rocket lives with her mom, brother, and cat. (Why is her big brother, Jamal, aaaaaaaaalllllways on his phone?)
- Rocket is a lover of all things space. (Did you know that Mae Jemison went into space even though she is afraid of heights!?)
- Rocket isn’t afraid to speak up. (She’ll even use the microphone in the supermarket if no one is looking.)
From the moment I picked up, Rocket Says Look Up! written by Nathan Bryon and illustrated by Dapa Adeola, I became Rocket’s number one fan. Her enthusiasm and perseverance throughout this story warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face. As she shares her frustrations with Jamal and his phone, I felt a twinge of guilt about how often I, too am face down, glued to my own phone these days.
When I shared this story with students during our school-wide virtual Book a Day, they smiled at each example of Rocket’s tenacity in trying to get her whole community to join her in watching the Phoenix Meteor Shower. They loved learning from Rocket. You’ll know a space fact is coming when you hear her loudly ask a passerby “Did you know…?” And the students, like Rocket, wished that Jamal would Just. Look. up.
I hope you will scoop up a copy of this book so you and your students can spend a little time getting to know and love Rocket as much as we do.
Thank you to Maeve and Molly for introducing my family to Rocket and giving us this book to read and enjoy again and again.
