The High-Flying, Deep-Diving Adventures of Kathy Sullivan: Astronaut and Oceanographer

PreS-Gr 3–“Couldn’t girls be astronauts too?” becomes the quiet hinge on which this narrative turns. This biography of Kathy Sullivan traces a life shaped less by spectacle than by sustained curiosity. Beginning with a childhood map and stacks of National Geographic magazines, Stanley frames exploration as an intellectual habit before it becomes a career. Places are first imagined, then studied, then reached. Space, notably, is absent from the map, underscoring how possibility expands over time. Stanley’s syntax balances momentum with reflection. Exclamatory moments, such as “A man was actually standing on the moon!” capture cultural awe, while quieter lines linger on yearning and decision. Repetition of phone calls as narrative pivots reinforces contingency. Sullivan studies oceans for nine years before NASA appears as an unexpected reopening of an earlier question. Training sequences detail the neutral buoyancy pool, the weight of a 225-pound suit, and the tactile rehearsal required to make risk manageable. The prose resists mythmaking by emphasizing preparation, patience, and technical precision. Hartland’s densely composed, eclectic illustrations echo this tonal duality. Deep teal spreads render both outer space and the Mariana Trench as vast, silent frontiers. Rounded figures and diagrammatic touches soften complexity without diminishing scale. The final image returns to the childhood map, now reframed by lived experience.