Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story

Kelly, M., & Payne, C.F. Mousetronaut: Based on a Partially True Story. (2012). NY: Simon & Schuster.

Lexile Score: AD670L

Summary: The smallest mouse at NASA, Meteor, is finally able to go into space because of his hard work. When the day arrives, Meteor heads into outer space with the other mice and astronauts. It’s up to Meteor to save the day when something goes wrong but, with his power of being small, he’s able to save the mission and earn his new title- Mousetronaut!

Evaluation: There are no stereotypes in this incredibly fun story. There’s even a female astronaut mentioned. The illustrations are extremely entertaining and humorous. I even laughed at the facial expressions made by the mice. They’re very engaging for children let alone, college students.

The main reason why this story is really interesting to me is the fact that the author is Mark Kelly, a four-time veteran of the space shuttle. He tells this story based on his experience and creative imagination, which makes this story have an accurate perspective. It definitely qualifies the author of this book to deal with this subject.

I find the storyline especially cute and uplifting. Because the small mouse worked hard, he was able to go to outer space and later, save the day and this teaches students a valuable lesson. No matter the size, you can always make a difference and accomplish your dreams when you work hard. Overall, this story would be a great read aloud to a young class and would be open for many discussions afterwards.

Literary elements: Author perspective- Astronaut and author, Mark Kelly

Theme- Work hard and dreams may come true, and no matter what size you are, you can always make a difference.

Illustrations- humorous and brings laughter and joy to the uplifting story

Mini lesson: My mini lesson would be to have a class discussion about Mark Kelly, the author and astronaut and talk about what he did and how he did it. As a class, we could learn more about the author and his experiences as an astronaut. We would also discuss how he may have come up with the idea of this story and what he pulled from his actual experiences versus what he pulled from his imagination.

Target Audience: PreK- 3^rd grade because of the cute illustrations and the lessons being taught with the exciting storyline.