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Rocket Says... #1
Rocket Says Look Up!
Meet Rocket--a plucky aspiring astronaut intent on getting her community to LOOK UP! from what they're doing and reach for the stars in this auspicious debut picture book. Honored as a Chicago Public Library 2019 Best of the Best Book!A comet will be visible tonight, and Rocket wants everyone to see it with her--even her big brother, Jamal, whose attention is usually trained on his phone or video games. Rocket's enthusiasm brings neighbors and family together to witness a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. Perfect for fans of Ada Twist, Scientist and Cece Loves Science--Rocket Says Look Up! will inspire readers of all ages to dream big as it models Rocket's passion for science and infectious curiosity.Author Nathan Bryon, an actor and screenwriter, and Dapo Adeola, a community-minded freelance illustrator, bring their fresh talents, passion, and enthusiasm to the picture book medium.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2019
9 people are currently reading
567 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
March 2, 2023
Well.
I love the cute story, about the love between a little girl and her older brother. I love Rocket (the girl), her gap-toothed little face. Her beautiful Black hair, her beautiful hairdo.
The illustrations are atomically wonderful, irridiating everything with its cuteness.
And a tiny nameless cat, to boot.
August 5, 2020
Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner 2020.
Young Rocket is completely obsessed with space, so much so that her hero is Mae Jemison.
Rocket is so excited about a forthcoming meteor shower that she will talk about it to everyone.
This picture book has some really nice 'Did you know' facts inserted early on in the story.
The story also follows her brother Jamal who is constantly looking down at his phone, the book then takes a weird turn and hammers home the message of constantly looking at a phone is bad.
Obviously kids you show an intrest in exploration should be encouraged, but phones are certainly not evil.
Rocket enthusiasm leads to loads of people also wanting to see the meteor shower, whilst waiting in the park the group soon restless and Rocket believes shes wasted everyone's time.
Surely Jamal could have checked up on his phone exactly what time the shower was due and still experience the event together?
If it had stuck to the fun little facts about space then it would easily have been deserving of the accolades it's received.
Young Rocket is completely obsessed with space, so much so that her hero is Mae Jemison.
Rocket is so excited about a forthcoming meteor shower that she will talk about it to everyone.
This picture book has some really nice 'Did you know' facts inserted early on in the story.
The story also follows her brother Jamal who is constantly looking down at his phone, the book then takes a weird turn and hammers home the message of constantly looking at a phone is bad.
Obviously kids you show an intrest in exploration should be encouraged, but phones are certainly not evil.
Rocket enthusiasm leads to loads of people also wanting to see the meteor shower, whilst waiting in the park the group soon restless and Rocket believes shes wasted everyone's time.
Surely Jamal could have checked up on his phone exactly what time the shower was due and still experience the event together?
If it had stuck to the fun little facts about space then it would easily have been deserving of the accolades it's received.
July 30, 2020
So amazing! Rocket 's energy flies off the page and leaves you ready to pursue your own adventure.
June 26, 2019
Young would-be astronomer Rocket looks forward to the upcoming Phoenix Meteor Shower in this charming new picture book from British actor Nathan Bryon. Practically beside herself with excitement, she invites everyone in the neighborhood to join her at the local park on the evening in question. The only person who remains indifferent is her elder brother Jamal. Or does he? When it seems as if the meteor shower is a bust, he proves he has observed a few things, when not looking at his phone...
I'm not always that enthusiastic for celebrity-authored children's books. Too often, I feel that the authors of such books get a free pass because of their fame, producing work more notable for its creator's name, than for any quality inherent to it. That said, I found the story in Rocket Says Look Up! quite endearing, appreciating both the eponymous heroine's enthusiasm for astronomy, and the heartwarming conclusion in which Jamal's better nature reveals itself. The artwork from Dapo Adeola is cute, although I did find Rocket's glasses a little bit... much. Of course, I'm sure that they were a deliberate choice, and were meant to be endearingly geeky, but somehow my gaze was always being drawn to those round spectacles, making them more of a distraction than anything else. Leaving that one quibble aside, I found this a sweet, heartwarming little picture-book, one I would recommend to all young star-gazers and would-be astronomers.
I'm not always that enthusiastic for celebrity-authored children's books. Too often, I feel that the authors of such books get a free pass because of their fame, producing work more notable for its creator's name, than for any quality inherent to it. That said, I found the story in Rocket Says Look Up! quite endearing, appreciating both the eponymous heroine's enthusiasm for astronomy, and the heartwarming conclusion in which Jamal's better nature reveals itself. The artwork from Dapo Adeola is cute, although I did find Rocket's glasses a little bit... much. Of course, I'm sure that they were a deliberate choice, and were meant to be endearingly geeky, but somehow my gaze was always being drawn to those round spectacles, making them more of a distraction than anything else. Leaving that one quibble aside, I found this a sweet, heartwarming little picture-book, one I would recommend to all young star-gazers and would-be astronomers.
August 8, 2019
Wait, so the point of this book in the end is cellphones are bad? I'm very confused. It's a book about an adorable little girl who's super knowlegable about space and is super pumped to see an asteroid shower. I love that! But then it kind of morphs into a PSA to older kids/teens to stop looking at their cellphones and live in the now..? :/
Overall the illustrations are totally adorable, but the story loses focus and goes a little too what if phones, but too much for my tastes
Overall the illustrations are totally adorable, but the story loses focus and goes a little too what if phones, but too much for my tastes
September 4, 2019
!!!!!!!!
You could have drinking game for every time this book uses the above symbol.
And if I had a dollar for every recently published book about an African American girl that references Mae Jemison, I could buy a nice bottle of sangria at Costco, unless I wanted each book to be a GOOD book. Because it has almost become a red flag to me when I pick up a book.
This is preachy (and BTW, you can use that cell phone to get a compass app or a tracking app from NASA, both of which would have been useful here), and absolutely banal. It's also not realistic (!) because as a lifelong city dweller I can tell you that there is too much ambient light in a city, even in the park, to see stuff like this--I'd have seen the Perseid meteor showers by now if you could--and even under the best of circumstances, you have to do this late, late in the night.
An extra !!!! for the illustrator's nonsense about how he creates "art that challenges assumptions about gender, race and ethnicity in a fun and upbeat way." Perhaps that's what he does in his unpublished work, but there's no challenge here, except to guess which computer software he uses to create utterly ho-hum art like this. As my assistant, a truly talented artist commented: "Whenever you give me a pile of picture books to look at, 5 or 6 of them look like this."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You could have drinking game for every time this book uses the above symbol.
And if I had a dollar for every recently published book about an African American girl that references Mae Jemison, I could buy a nice bottle of sangria at Costco, unless I wanted each book to be a GOOD book. Because it has almost become a red flag to me when I pick up a book.
This is preachy (and BTW, you can use that cell phone to get a compass app or a tracking app from NASA, both of which would have been useful here), and absolutely banal. It's also not realistic (!) because as a lifelong city dweller I can tell you that there is too much ambient light in a city, even in the park, to see stuff like this--I'd have seen the Perseid meteor showers by now if you could--and even under the best of circumstances, you have to do this late, late in the night.
An extra !!!! for the illustrator's nonsense about how he creates "art that challenges assumptions about gender, race and ethnicity in a fun and upbeat way." Perhaps that's what he does in his unpublished work, but there's no challenge here, except to guess which computer software he uses to create utterly ho-hum art like this. As my assistant, a truly talented artist commented: "Whenever you give me a pile of picture books to look at, 5 or 6 of them look like this."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 20, 2019
4 stars for outer space/science stuff and for realistic portrayal of siblings/family relationships
2 stars for PSA on cell phones (a little too didactic and preachy for me)
3 stars total
Loved the enthusiasm and the illustrations, which were adorbs. Bit long in the telling. Yes, we should be encouraged to be aware and participatory of the world around us, but please don't bash me over the head with the message.
2 stars for PSA on cell phones (a little too didactic and preachy for me)
3 stars total
Loved the enthusiasm and the illustrations, which were adorbs. Bit long in the telling. Yes, we should be encouraged to be aware and participatory of the world around us, but please don't bash me over the head with the message.
January 14, 2020
Three stars to balance out the adorable illustrations and potential with the weird meandering story. Way too much chastising the older brother for looking at his phone. I thought it was going to be more about this cute girl who loves space but... it was just... weird.
August 7, 2020
I may be extra emotional today but this almost made me cry.
Really lovely story about aspirations, perseverance, and familial bonding.
Really lovely story about aspirations, perseverance, and familial bonding.
June 25, 2021
Rocket Says Look Up! Because you may just miss a beautiful book about a sweet girl and a big passion for space.
I spotted this book over at the library (in Dutch) and just had to take it home with me. It looked adorable and I also cannot resist books about space!
Meet Rocket, a sweet girl who lives with her mom and her big brother in a small apartment. She LOVES stars. She LOVES space. She even wears a suit all of the time. She hopes to one day become an astronaut which I found such a wonderful dream (hopefully she can do it). When a meteor shower is set to appear she decides to make posters and invite all the people to watch it with her in the park. I had such a big laugh at seeing her hijack the microphone at the supermarket to do some promotion. Go girl! And I loved that she enticed people to come with space facts~
I loved that meteor shower and wish I could have been there for real, because dang that is pretty!
The sister-brother relationship was a bit awkward probably because of the huge difference in years, but Jamal does show that he cares for his sister! The ending with the two of them just made me smile.
I did think the name was weird. I first thought Rocket was her nickname, something her family calls her because of her HUGE love for rockets, space, and all that surrounds it. But instead mom just called her kid Rocket because a rocket was launched on the day the girl was born? UUMMM? I am sure the kid is OK with it now, but I wonder if she is so happy with it when she is a teen or an adult with a job.
The illustrations were oh so much fun and I really liked their style. I just loved Rocket’s hair!
But all in all, a very sweet and cute book with facts and family. Recommended!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I spotted this book over at the library (in Dutch) and just had to take it home with me. It looked adorable and I also cannot resist books about space!
Meet Rocket, a sweet girl who lives with her mom and her big brother in a small apartment. She LOVES stars. She LOVES space. She even wears a suit all of the time. She hopes to one day become an astronaut which I found such a wonderful dream (hopefully she can do it). When a meteor shower is set to appear she decides to make posters and invite all the people to watch it with her in the park. I had such a big laugh at seeing her hijack the microphone at the supermarket to do some promotion. Go girl! And I loved that she enticed people to come with space facts~
I loved that meteor shower and wish I could have been there for real, because dang that is pretty!
The sister-brother relationship was a bit awkward probably because of the huge difference in years, but Jamal does show that he cares for his sister! The ending with the two of them just made me smile.
I did think the name was weird. I first thought Rocket was her nickname, something her family calls her because of her HUGE love for rockets, space, and all that surrounds it. But instead mom just called her kid Rocket because a rocket was launched on the day the girl was born? UUMMM? I am sure the kid is OK with it now, but I wonder if she is so happy with it when she is a teen or an adult with a job.
The illustrations were oh so much fun and I really liked their style. I just loved Rocket’s hair!
But all in all, a very sweet and cute book with facts and family. Recommended!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
October 11, 2019
Rocket is eagerly looking forward to the arrival of a meteor shower, and she gets her whole community interested in observing its arrival. Her brother Jamal, always on his phone, is most reluctant to accompany her to the sighting. It's a long wait, but finally Rocket tells everyone to look up, and the group enjoys a most amazing view.
You can't help but love Rocket and her enthusiasm for all things space. Even Jamal can't help but join in.
You can't help but love Rocket and her enthusiasm for all things space. Even Jamal can't help but join in.
December 10, 2019
Funny, informative and just downright delightful, this is pretty much a perfect picture book about one girl's quest to make her brother look up at the world around him. I loved it, and I'm recommending it to everyone this Christmas. (1+)
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. If you use it in any marketing material, online or anywhere on a published book without asking permission from me first, I will ask you to remove that use immediately. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. If you use it in any marketing material, online or anywhere on a published book without asking permission from me first, I will ask you to remove that use immediately. Thank you!*
July 28, 2020
This would be a great book to read to lower KS2 or KS1 children when learning about space. Rocket loves space and wants to be an astronaut when she’s older. I here are lots of facts about space and meteor showers in the book, including about the first women in space. The book also has lots of links to sibling relationships which is likely to be relatable for many children.
August 4, 2020
Perfect for children excited by what happens in the night skies, and the possibilities of looking up and around, rather than down (at a mobile/cell phone). Quite a bit more text than is often found in a picture book and lots of meteor shower facts for these who like to learn while they are reading or being read to.
August 16, 2019
Love love loved this! This picture book packs in so many important things! Rocket loves space and science and her enthusiasm is infectious! She has an older brother who can't peel himself away from his phone. Family stuff, Stem/science/space stuff, More books like this, please!
February 15, 2020
A brightly-illustrated and fun book about a little girl who is so enthusiastic about astronomy that she inspires her community to look up from their phones and the mundanity of everyday lives in order to watch a meteor shower.
May 19, 2020
I could grow to like Rocket and Jamal, although the text was a little heavy-handed for me - and I’m maybe too old fashioned to find this new style of illustration much more than generic. But there are flashes of real creativity in the art work - as when everyone turns to Rocket in the park - and the loving/impatient nature of the brother-sister relationship seems wholly believable.
August 14, 2020
This is a great picture book about an imaginative girl who aspires to be an astronaut. She is desperate for everyone to look up at the sky as a comet that will be visible in the sky tonight! The book contains interesting facts about space and astronauts that children would find interesting and would open up the potential for brilliant science discussions among the class. I loved the representation of BAME in the book as Rocket is a fantastic and inspiring black female role model for all children to look up to.
August 22, 2019
I love the illustrations in this book so much! The interactions between the girl and her brother are priceless. And such an awesome story - this is a new favorite!
September 27, 2021
Read this looking for Space themed Story Time. I don't think this would make for a great crowd reading, but it's definitely beautiful to read to your kids at home!
July 15, 2021
27/52 books read in 2021.
16/12 picture books read in 2021.
I would call this a mediocre picture book.
I really like the main character Rocket, I like the art, and the representation is great.
It just isn't the best story I've ever read and it also does not have a moral message that makes you want to pick it up every night.
Having said that, there are loads of boring and uninspiring children's books and at least this one tells the story of a little black girl with great and big dreams and amazing natural hair.
So I am glad my library has added it to the collection!
16/12 picture books read in 2021.
I would call this a mediocre picture book.
I really like the main character Rocket, I like the art, and the representation is great.
It just isn't the best story I've ever read and it also does not have a moral message that makes you want to pick it up every night.
Having said that, there are loads of boring and uninspiring children's books and at least this one tells the story of a little black girl with great and big dreams and amazing natural hair.
So I am glad my library has added it to the collection!
November 1, 2021
This book was so beautiful I cried! I wish I had read something like this when I was a child. 😭 Younger me loved astronomy so I feel like this little book was made with little me in mind 😭
January 30, 2020
Rocket was born on the day a famous rocket launched into space and she aspires to be just like Mae Jemison, who was the first African-American woman to go to space. However, while she's looking up at the stars, those around her are looking down at their phones. Rocket decides to bring the whole neighborhood together to watch a meteor shower and, in the end, people realize the importance of looking up!
Great illustrations that show the difference between children and adults (hey, adult, remember that your child is watching you watch your phone!) and represent a diverse neighborhood full of fun.
Recommended for ages 4-6.
-Christina
Great illustrations that show the difference between children and adults (hey, adult, remember that your child is watching you watch your phone!) and represent a diverse neighborhood full of fun.
Recommended for ages 4-6.
-Christina
January 2, 2023
I liked this
March 7, 2021
Look Up is a beautiful book about Rocket, a sweet, caring, bubbly and exciting character, who is desperate to see the Phoenix Meteor Shower! She wants everyone to LOOK UP! Instead of looking down at their screens, especially her big brother Jamal. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Rocket and she does everything she can to make her dreams come true!
Even though this is a picture book, it incorporates so many important messages into one small story! Firstly, I LOVE the diversity in this book! The more diverse books there are, the better the world will become! Letting readers read about another young person who has a different race to them is SO IMPORTANT in the modern world, and it will teach them that everyone is equal! Secondly, I LOVED Rocket's beautiful afro hair and her teeth! Rocket will really be a character many young black children (and adults!) can relate to and enjoy! I also loved the message that it conveys: that we should all LOOK UP more often as we can all admit that we do too much looking down and to spend time with your families and the people you care about whilst you have the chance!
Even though this is a picture book, it incorporates so many important messages into one small story! Firstly, I LOVE the diversity in this book! The more diverse books there are, the better the world will become! Letting readers read about another young person who has a different race to them is SO IMPORTANT in the modern world, and it will teach them that everyone is equal! Secondly, I LOVED Rocket's beautiful afro hair and her teeth! Rocket will really be a character many young black children (and adults!) can relate to and enjoy! I also loved the message that it conveys: that we should all LOOK UP more often as we can all admit that we do too much looking down and to spend time with your families and the people you care about whilst you have the chance!
June 20, 2019
I deffo needed this book growing up - will be getting several copies for my cousins.
June 15, 2019
Love the energy, enthusiasm and voice
May 19, 2021
I like this book. Its lots of fun and full of really cool space facts.
August 8, 2019
Love the illustrations and the overall message, but it's just so preachy....
October 21, 2020
Rocket Says Look Up! was a fun read. It’s about a Black girl called Rocket, who wants to be an astronaut like Mae Jemison (the first Black woman to travel into space). When the story begins, Rocket is excited about an upcoming meteor shower. She tells everyone in her community about it and hopes that her older brother, who will take her to the park to see the meteor shower, will put his phone away and enjoy the experience with her.
It’s a sweet story (yep, that’s my “go to” description for picture books). I like how extroverted and talkative Rocket is and her infectious enthusiasm to see the meteor shower. I liked her interactions with her older brother, Jamal, as well. Although Jamal spends the majority of the story stuck on his phone, we also see him get annoyed by his little sister’s antics. It was funny. I also like how it ends showing that the siblings sometimes get along.
I also like the facts about meteor showers that Rocket shares. On one page, these facts were dropped one after the other and we see Jamal look down at her obviously annoyed and over meteor showers, lol.
ART STYLE:
I loved the illustrations and overall design of the book. I bought it because the background colors on the front cover really appealed to me. They give the effect of the night sky with stars peeking out, and I love how Rocket is drawn because of her hairstyle: cornrows going back into a bun with a high, mini afro puff (it’s so cute!).
I also love the endpages — indigo with illustrations of constellations, rockets, planets, stars, astronauts, and other stuff floating around in silver… like being in space.
The illustrations throughout appealed to me and also how they are laid out. I like that Jamal is rocking a high-top fade and the mom rocks a short natural haircut with some big gold earrings! (Love it!) It’s cute that Rocket and her pet cat are always in their astronaut suit. I thought that was funny. And I liked how diverse her community is too.
OVERALL: ★★★★☆
A fun story about a little girl who wants to be an astronaut pestering her older brother to take her to see a meteor shower. Love the art and I like that there are facts about meteor showers throughout.
As posted on Zezee with Books.
It’s a sweet story (yep, that’s my “go to” description for picture books). I like how extroverted and talkative Rocket is and her infectious enthusiasm to see the meteor shower. I liked her interactions with her older brother, Jamal, as well. Although Jamal spends the majority of the story stuck on his phone, we also see him get annoyed by his little sister’s antics. It was funny. I also like how it ends showing that the siblings sometimes get along.
I also like the facts about meteor showers that Rocket shares. On one page, these facts were dropped one after the other and we see Jamal look down at her obviously annoyed and over meteor showers, lol.
ART STYLE:
I loved the illustrations and overall design of the book. I bought it because the background colors on the front cover really appealed to me. They give the effect of the night sky with stars peeking out, and I love how Rocket is drawn because of her hairstyle: cornrows going back into a bun with a high, mini afro puff (it’s so cute!).
I also love the endpages — indigo with illustrations of constellations, rockets, planets, stars, astronauts, and other stuff floating around in silver… like being in space.
The illustrations throughout appealed to me and also how they are laid out. I like that Jamal is rocking a high-top fade and the mom rocks a short natural haircut with some big gold earrings! (Love it!) It’s cute that Rocket and her pet cat are always in their astronaut suit. I thought that was funny. And I liked how diverse her community is too.
OVERALL: ★★★★☆
A fun story about a little girl who wants to be an astronaut pestering her older brother to take her to see a meteor shower. Love the art and I like that there are facts about meteor showers throughout.
As posted on Zezee with Books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews