Oliver Dominguez – illustratör

Celebrate the groundbreaking life of astronaut and Johnson Space Center director Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina in space, in this latest book in the award-winning Big Words biography series.Young Ellen loved to learn. Encouraged by her mother, she graduated at the top of her high school and college classes, and studied electrical engineering in graduate school. An accomplished engineer by age 30, with three patents to her name, she kept learning and trying new things. When NASA began accepting women and people of color to the astronaut program, Ellen found herself drawn to this exciting and demanding career. On her first mission, she was the only woman aboard the shuttle Discovery and the first Latina to reach outer space. After four space flights, she became the first Latina director of the Johnson Space Center and has received numerous distinctions and awards.This addition to the award-winning Big Words biography series celebrates a STEM pioneer known for her brilliance, persistence, and an intellectual curiosity as infinite as the stars. With dynamic illustrations by Oliver Dominguez, Doreen Rappaport's richly detailed narrative-punctuated with standout quotes from Ellen herself-will inspire a new generation to unravel the mysteries of the universe.

Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, he played it, he coached it. But he didn''t love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born. For seventy-five years, baseball teams have used Lena''s magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game. Read the story of how Lena''s mud went from a riverbank to the major leagues and all the way to the Hall of Fame.

Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, he played it, he coached it. But he didn''t love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born. For seventy-five years, baseball teams have used Lena''s magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game. Read the story of how Lena''s mud went from a riverbank to the major leagues and all the way to the Hall of Fame.

Luis wishes Nico wasn''t leaving for the Army. To show Nico he doesn''t need to go, Luis begins a mural on the alleyway wall. Their house, the river, the Parque de las Ardillas—it''s the world, all right there. Won''t Nico miss Mami''s sweet flan? What about their baseball games in the street? But as Luis awaits his brother''s return from duty, his own world expands as well, through swooping paint and the help of their bustling Dominican neighborhood.

Luis wishes Nico wasn''t leaving for the Army. To show Nico he doesn''t need to go, Luis begins a mural on the alleyway wall. Their house, the river, the Parque de las Ardillas—it''s the world, all right there. Won''t Nico miss Mami''s sweet flan? What about their baseball games in the street? But as Luis awaits his brother''s return from duty, his own world expands as well, through swooping paint and the help of their bustling Dominican neighborhood.

Pope Francis''s life and ground-breaking leadership are brought to life for young readers in this lyrical and inspirational picture book biography.Jorge Bergoglio was a typical boy growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, jumping into pick-up soccer games and listening to lively music on the city streets. His grandma Rosa taught him the importance of doing good and inspired his passion to help others. This passion and years of hard work led him to become a Jesuit priest, a bishop, and then a cardinal.And now the world knows Jorge by a different name--Pope Francis.As the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis has focused on another word for pope: "pontiff," a person who builds bridges to reach everyone, no matter who they are. Speaking out on the most important issues of our time, he has become an influential voice in our world--a true pontiff, a builder of bridges.This story of how an ordinary boy became a beloved world leader will inspire and inform readers of all ages.