Glowing art and lyrical verse combine in Through the Telescope by author, photographer, and poet Charles R. Smith Jr. (Black Jack, with Shane W. Evans) and debut illustrator Evening Monteiro. The book introduces readers to the young Mae Jemison, the first Black female astronaut to travel into space. Smith writes in rhyming couplets, capturing the awe that defines young Mae's fascination with the universe.
Readers first meet Mae as a young girl in Chicago, peering through a telescope, eyes wide with possibility. Soon, she's soaring "just past the exosphere" in her imagination, wonder on her face as she takes in "hundreds of billions of galaxies." Monteiro's illustrations elevate the text, radiating a modern, graphic-novel energy. The spreads are sleek and cinematic, with luminous stars and planets shimmering against the deep black of space. Mae, her curls bouncing and eyes alight, anchors every spread with joy. Readers see her flying through space on a star, measuring light years, and hovering near the moon, her dream of "floating so far... through space someday" both poetic and prophetic. In the powerful closing spreads, the adult Mae, now in her NASA uniform, stands behind her younger self, pointing ahead. She's a visual echo of dreams realized. The back matter cleverly continues the theme, presenting facts about Jemison's life in a countdown format that nods to rocket launches and childhood curiosity alike. Through the Telescope, both a celebration of wonder and a tribute to perseverance, invites readers to look up at the night sky, dream big, and remember that exploration begins with imagination. --Julie Danielson