Maria's Comet

by Deborah Hopkinson, Deborah Lanino (Illustrator)

Maria's wish burns as brightly as a star.
Maria longs to be an astronomer and imagines all the strange worlds she can travel to by looking though her papa's telescope. One night Maria gets her chance to look through the telescope. For the first time, she sees the night sky stretching endlessly above her, and her dream of exploring constellations seems close enough to touch.
In this story, inspired by the life of Maria Mitchell, America's first woman astronomer, "viewers will find the cobalt-blue nights, lit with constellations that make imaginary (and actual) pictures in the sky, every bit as attractive as Maria does."

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Biography, Childrens, Astronomy

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

I write nonfiction and historical fiction, picture books, and Golden Books. I speak at school, libraries, and conferences. I also love to garden and offer manuscript critiques. (Deborahhopkinson@yahoo.com)

NEW books in 2024 include DETERMINED DREAMER: THE STORY OF MARIE CURIE, illus by Jen Hill, ON A SUMMER NIGHT, illus by Kenard Pak, TRIM HELPS OUT and TRIM SAILS the STORM, illus by Kristy Caldwell, EVIDENCE! illustrated by Nik Henderson, and a nonfiction work called THEY SAVED THE STALLIONS. I'm delighted to say that Trim Helps Out, Trim Sails the Storm, On a Summer Night and Evidence! are all Junior Library Guild selections.

I live and work in Oregon and travel all over to speak to young readers and writers.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's nice intro to the woman, Maria Mitchell who would go on to be the first woman astronomer in the US. It's not as in depth as it could be, but it does seem to capture time and place quite well.

[Stasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was hoping for a bit more out of this.

[Annburnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book based on the first woman astronomer Maria Mitchell. It talks about her Papa studying the skies and looking for stars and comets.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fictional account of the astronomer Maria Mitchell. Great short story to go with our star rotation. Pretty pictures.

[Christy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is based on Maria Mitchell, America's first woman astronomer. It tells of her childhood and the love between she and her brother and she and her dad, who was also an astronomer.

[Jennifer Heise]

An interesting picture book introducing one of the pioneering women in astronomy. I just wish there were more substance to the story. Illustrations are very pretty.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Maria Mitchell, the first woman astronomer, focused exclusively on her childhood as a girl in a world where women had no place in the world outside of the home. It's an inspiring story about the experience that created a woman who defied convention to become a recognized astronomer in the wider world. Astronomy might not be the most popular topic among the kids that I teach, but a story like this one might be the exception.

However, I have to take umbrage with the end matter, particularly that somehow it slipped through the editing process that the Sun "is 100 times larger than the Earth". Where are the rest of the zeroes in that number? The Sun is slightly under 1.3 million times the size of Earth. It must've been an editorial oversight, but it got all the way through to the published product. That bothered me.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Illustrations. Maria was raised in a Quaker household where girls and boys were both expected to get an education. Maria's father taught her astronomy. She discovered the first “telescopic comet” in 1847, while stargazing on the roof of her home. Maria [Ma-RYE-ah] became the very first Professor of Astronomy at Vassar University. Maria used her professional status to promote women's rights and worked with Susan Stanton to get women the right to vote. She also protested her lower salary compared to the men faculty at Vassar, and won. A fascinating, well traveled, learned woman of her time. E Hopkinson