Journey to the stars Kalpana Chawla, astronaut

This picture-book biography of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born American astronaut, is a terrific tribute to the groundbreaking aeronautical engineer. Short, descriptive text and colorful, expressive illustrations trace Kalpana's path to becoming an astronaut, from waving to pilots from her home's rooftop in India to her burgeoning dreams of going into space. With Kalpana's transfer to Punjab Engineering College, the book emphasizes her education choices, career, and NASA training--as well as a romance leading to marriage along the way. The first woman to graduate with a degree in aeronautical engineering from her college, Kalpana headed to the U.S., where she continued her studies, became a U.S. citizen, and eventually earned her place as a crew member aboard the Columbia space shuttle. Kalpana was also proud of her Indian heritage, and the authors and illustrator take considerable care in recognizing how she incorporated it into her work and daily life. Only the author's note and time line mention Kalpana's tragic death aboard Columbia. An important STEM biography that promotes tenacity.

Gr 1--3--This expansive biography follows the journey of Kalpana Chawla from her small-town childhood in India to her academic work in aeronautic engineering to her career with NASA as an astronaut. Wallmark and Mirchandani provide snapshots of the tenacity and consistent hard work Chawla put into realizing her goal of space flight, inspired by rooftop viewings of airplanes flying overhead. They also take care to include glimpses of Chawla's personal life and the ways she incorporated her heritage into her daily experience--furnishing her home with Rajasthani decor and joining a local Bharatanatyam dance company. Ghosh's artwork shines when it focuses on cultural detail, but elsewhere lapses into digital blandness, with smoothed color gradients fading into empty white backgrounds. Adult readers not previously familiar with the astronaut's life may begin steeling themselves for a mature conversation at the mention of the Space Shuttle Columbia, which famously and tragically disintegrated while reentering the atmosphere in 2003. However, the moment never arrives: the story closes on a triumphant tableau of Chawla (during an earlier mission) gazing serenely out of the shuttle window at the Earth below, having "achieved her dream of going into space." The authors do refer to the event briefly in the book's back matter, but its absence from the story proper leaves this depiction of a life of determination and achievement feeling somewhat truncated. VERDICT An enjoyable, if unnecessarily incomplete, picture book biography.--Jonah Dragan

A picture-book biography of the first Indian American astronaut. As a child, Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003) loved sketching airplanes. At 11, she flew for the first time, an experience that cemented her dream of studying the skies. After earning a degree from Punjab Engineering College, she earned a master's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. In Texas, she learned to fly and married her flight instructor, Jean-Pierre Harrison. The two moved to Colorado, where Chawla pursued a Ph.D. After years of hard work and perseverance, she flew her first mission on the shuttle Columbia in 1997. She brought evidence of her Indian heritage, including a flag representing Air India (mistakenly referred to here as Indian Airlines). While the book offers a clear overview of Chawla's life, it feels frustratingly vague at times. Readers find out only several pages in that Chawla grew up in India; her hometown is never mentioned. While the authors note that the faculty at Punjab Engineering College attempted to dissuade her from pursuing her passion, they don't explain why, though a reference to her being the first woman to graduate with a degree in aeronautical engineering alludes to the sexism she experienced. Information on Chawla's death--she was killed in 2003 when the Columbia exploded in midair--is relegated to a timeline in the backmatter. The upbeat artwork has a somewhat static feeling. A heartfelt yet hazy account of a pioneering woman in STEM.​ (author's note, list of Chawla's honors and recognitions, selected resources) (Picture-book biography. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.