Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison had already graduated from Cornell Medical School and worked in the Peace Corps before she joined NASA and, in 1992, became the first African American woman in space. This engaging, small-format biography of Jemison covers her childhood and schooling, as well as her experiences as an astronaut. Aboard the shuttle Endeavor for an eight-day mission, she did “science experiments on herself and the crew. She wanted to see what space did to their health.” Today, Jemison does humanitarian work, helping to “improve medical care in Africa.” With its short, simple sentences and photographs on every spread, this volume is accessible to young readers. A helpful, cumulative time line runs across the bottom of each page. The back matter consists of a glossary, books for further reading, a link to publisher-approved Web sites, critical thinking questions using the Common Core, and an index.