রকেটস : গ্র্যাভিটিকে ছাড়িয়ে

Science Comics

by Anne Drozd, ইশতিয়াক হোসেন চৌধুরী (Translator)

মানুষের সাথে রকেটের এহেন সখ্যতা বহু পুরোনো। মহাশূন্য ভ্রমণের মতন সৃষ্টিশীল কাজে যেমন এদেরকে ব্যবহার করা হয়, ঠিক তেমনি ধ্বংসাত্মক কাজেও এগুলোর জুড়ি মেলা ভার। যুদ্ধক্ষেত্রে যেন মূর্তিমান আতংকের নাম রকেট চালিত ক্ষেপণাস্ত্র। অন্যদিকে, নির্মল বিনোদনের জগতেও এরা বেশ সমাদৃত। এক সময়ে মামুলি আতশবাজি হিসেবে যাত্রা শুরু করা রকেট, কালের বিবর্তনে অসংখ্য বৈজ্ঞানিক ও প্রকৌশলীর শ্রম ও মেধার উপরে ভর করে এসে পৌঁছেছে আজকের চেহারায়। অনিন্দ্য সুন্দর অঙ্কন ও সাবলীল রচনাশৈলীতে রকেট প্রযুক্তির উত্থানের সেই রোমাঞ্চকর গল্পগুলো তুলে এনেছেন অ্যান ড্রোজড এবং জেরজি ড্রোজড। রকেটের অতীত, বর্তমান ও সম্ভাব্য ভবিষ্যৎ তো বটেই, এগুলোর কাজের পেছনের মৌলিক পদার্থবিজ্ঞানও সব বয়সী পাঠকদের উপযোগী করে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে তাদের বইতে।

Genres: Science, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, History, Space, Comics, Middle Grade

120 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2025

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for this one, another solid title that science teachers will want to add their classroom library. Most of us are fascinated by space or the idea of space travel, and in graphic form, this slim volume covers the history of the space race and humans' interest in being able to travel far from Earth. It never fails to amuse me that so many were sure it wasn't possible while it also never fails to leave me sad to think of the many experimental animals such as Laika, the space dog, who lost their lives in our attempts to reach the moon. As is always the case with these books, the authors and illustrations have done their homework and really taken pains to include the scientific laws that underlie rocketry as well as its origins in entertainment. I was pleased to see an explanation of the sheep, duck, and rooster who lead readers through part of the book, a tribute to the three animals who were the first creatures to fly in a vehicle made by humans--a hot air balloon. While some readers might not enjoy the repartee among the various animals, including a bear and a tortoise, they simply add a personal touch to the information contained in the book. This book with its vivid illustrations and thumbnail sketches of some of the individuals involved in rocketry and space exploration, presents the facts and science in easy-to-digest form. Most notably, the book makes sure to acknowledge the contribution of the Soviets as well as Americans and highlight some of the devious techniques used to protect rocket scientists from Nazi Germany after the war. I certainly want to read more about THAT.

[Benjamin]

How? Another Science Comics. (This from 2018.)

What? Some rocket physics and history.

Yeah, so? Jumps around a little, and the descriptions of the physics are a little condensed; and also this book -- while trying to excavate some forgotten pioneers (women, Black women) -- manages to exonerate the Nazi rocketeers and then ends with a slight hagiography of Musk/SpaceX. Bad taste in 2024.

[Josephine Dimick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how animals explained the science of rockets!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science Comics continues to cover topics of interest to young readers. This volume covers the development of rockets from 400 BCE to the present. An amazing feature is that the figures from rocketry history are a mix of men and women from different time periods and different countries. Their contributions range from the strictly theoretical (books, dissertations, theories), to experiments, improvements on previous advances, and incredible breakthroughs.

The humorous narrators of the book are an assortment of animals that have been used in the journey to space - a sheep, duck, and rooster like those in the Montgolfiers' balloon; rats and mice; dogs; even bears! Along the way, readers learn about early fireworks and rockets in China, activities during WWI, the Cold War and Space Race, onward through the ISS and even SpaceX.

Cameos by Isaac Newton and other worthies of science help illustrate theories such as the Laws of Motion that affect rockets. Puns and other jokes keep the rather dense science and math accessible. Current topics such as Mars rovers, solar sails, and the work of Elon Musk to include private industry in the development of space technology are all covered.

For middle grade readers (and older) who are interested in rocketry and man's journey outward from the Earth, this is a very accessible presentation of major milestones along the way. A 3-page timeline, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading are in the back matter.

Highly recommended. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rockets: Defying Gravity from the Science Comics series defied my expectations and I have high expectations of this series. The authors explain the major principles of physics via brilliant illustrations and an easy to follow narrative of the history of rocket science, from ancient Italian scientist, Archytas, to today's Lightsail from the Planetary Society. Young readers will hear, for the first time, the names of the scientists (many women are included) and the test animals (bears, tortoises, chickens, dogs, monkeys, mice, etc) who contributed to space travel. The information covered is hard science that is palatable to readers, and students will come back to these again and again to digest the information.

I have purchased almost all of these titles and my tutoring students, who are often resistant readers, devour them.

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Science Comics, and wow, is this dense. I was not expecting this much explanation of physics and how rockets work in a book meant for a middle grade audience. The framework for the comic is cute, having animals that have been involved with the evolution of rocket travel tell their parts of the story. I can see this being a good resource for research papers and appealing to kids that are already really into science and rockets/space travel. This might not be the correct route to get kids into this sort of subject. There is a lot of math explored.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rockets is yet another solid addition to the Science Comics series. I know in the past, sixth graders at our middle school have launch water pressure rockets and revised them to improve the design and its flight. So much of these stories are about the trials of making more effective rockets for space travel that I could see this being widely used in the classroom setting for science and STEM/STEAM classrooms. Highly recommend this series!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from #netgalley to review.

Another clever and informative titles in the Science Comics series. This is quickly becoming my go to series for non-fiction graphic novels. They are full of information that I really had no clue about and are fun to read.

Highly recommend this title and series for graphic novel fans.

#ScienceComics:Rockets #NetGalley

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome as always, Science Comics! I really love how it gets into both the history and the science. It's fascinating to really see how far technology has come! I liked how this book was narrated by all the animals that have traveled on rockets and gone into space. Bonus points for the humor scattered throughout, especially the gem of delivery sandwiches to the ISS haha.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was slow going at first. Heavy info dumping and un-useful framing. And then at some point this became more readable. Perhaps page 46. The book started telling more modern and technological stories. Eventually it even told a story that was marginally funny. So a mixed bag, worth struggling through though. The after material wasn't all that special, though.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite in the series by any means- I guess, I didn't like the presentation style- but I can see myself recommending this book to anyone already interested in rockets. I did learn cool new facts but it may have been too much!

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous and accessible. Rockets are complex, but the authors successfully boil down concepts into easily graspable points. Younger students (Grades 4-5) may struggle with some content but middle-school audiences will find themselves learning a lot about science!

[Heather Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rockets tells the history, physics, and uses of rockets--all with a punch of humor. Kids and adults will both find Rockets fun and informative, and it gives enough information to write a paper or use as a source. I'm a big fan of this series, and I'm sure my students will love this addition!

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/19/2020 ~ A solid introduction to rocketry. The vocabulary and science concepts are definitely more sophisticated than the narrators (bears, mice, & a pigeon) and illustrations would indicate. I will try several titles from this series to see if the readers in my elementary library enjoy them.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a pretty complete history of rocketry, plus a thorough but easy to understand explanation of the physics that make it work. There's a rotating cast of animal narrators, some of which work better than others.

[Andrej · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very approachable and somewhat goofy explanation of the basic physics principles behind rocket science and history of rockets. I don't think I've ever seen a better explanation of Newton's laws of motion for small kids.

[wildct2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent addition to the series. One of the better reads.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has information about rockets. The book makes learning fun. I liked it. There are also funny parts. I recommend it to those who like rockets and science. (review by Jori, grade 4)

[VBergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are cute ^_^ but the subject is hard and it's not presented in a very reachable way :-/ Changing characters often, breaks a little the continuity of the story

[Kimberly Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this book is ideal for 9+ kid. Great series.

[Awjtf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting!

[Kristin Feliciano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really fun to read. It takes the concept of how rockets work and turns it into a comic about it. I like this for kids that like graphic novels

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Critter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super engaging and humorous read. It is a great book for readers like me who struggle with the science between rockets and physics. This book and all of its wonderful narrators made learning the science lots of fun. It was great how historical figures were brought in, Isaac Newton being a really great addition. There were also lots of jokes, especially puns scattered throughout the narrative. I loved how informative and funny this book was.

I received a copy from Fierce Read’s Countdown to Liftoff Sweepstakes.

[Deni · Rating 5 out of 5]

9 year old loves these books!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to Lewis, it all started when the pigeon’s grandpa was roommates with Archytas. He ate some spicy pythagorean moussaka, and off into the air he shot as the world’s very first rocket. According to Sheep, Duck, and Rooster, that is not what happened. The first rocket was a steam-powered wooden pigeon. No matter how it started, people have made tremendous progress in the world of rockets and these friends are here to tell readers all about it. From Chinese fireworks to landing on the moon, a lot of scientific study has gone into the process of defying gravity. A lot of science was involved too, from Newton’s laws of physics, to Mary Sherman Morgan’s knowledge of chemistry. Thousands if not millions of people’s work has brought us to where we are today in space travel.

Hilarious and exciting, this comic book is a great way to learn the history and science behind rockets. While the information doesn’t cover every scientific aspect of rockets, it does cover more than most students already know. Written so children as young as nine could understand, the bright illustrations flow well from frame to frame, ensuring that readers are engaged. The characters are mostly animals that have been used in rocket-related experiments, and their lively personalities and comedic remarks add charming humor to this already entertaining read. Dedicated to the many animals that helped humans in their research, particularly those used before 1996 when NASA created new principles for ethical use of animals in experimentation, this remarkable book stands out from other educational books as one that will teach a child the greatest amount of information in an exciting and entertaining way.

++Review originally published on Children's Book and Media Review++
http://byucbmr.com/reviews/science-co...

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Brenda Kahn]

How is this the first I am hearing of this series? I'm still no rocket scientist after reading this, but I sure was entertained and I'm definitely checking out the other topics in the non-fiction graphic novel series.