Cars on Mars: Roving the Red Planet

Sometimes I think that adult authors of children's non-fiction subjects get so wrapped up in their material that they forget (or, more likely, never knew how) to make the thing they are talking about palatable to kids. Here's a pretty good litmus test for any work of non-fiction: If you, the grown-up, fall asleep mid-sentence, then there's a pretty good chance a kid will do the same. Then they'll vow never to read non-fiction ever again. And I admit, I don't always notice this. I read a lot of children's literature, and it's easy to forget how boring a kid would find one type of writing or another. The nice thing is that when I read something really readable and child-centric, I notice. I noticed with "Cars on Mars", as it happens. Picture this: robots with extraordinary life spans exploring a planet 303,000,000 miles away. It's not science fiction, it's fact. And so kids can learn about two exploration rovers who beat the odds and withstood storms, freezing winters, and even sandpits in their efforts to explore a planet none of us have ever been to. Woot! Go, team, go! In the summer of 2003 two little Mars Exploration Rovers named Spirit and Opportunity were launched from earth towards our distant neighbor. Both rovers landed safely and spent their time exploring their new home. Running on sunshine, the rovers were expected to last around three months. As of this book, they've covered almost six years and taken more than 217,000 photographs. They've survived several near death experiences, and yet they keep on plugging along. This is their story of what they found, with tons of photographs taken along the way. The book contains a Glossary of terms, a Bibliography, Source Notes, Photo Credits, Index, and a remarkable list of websites, including one that offers "the most up-to-date reports on the rovers." As of this review, they still appear to be functioning and moving along. I have two theories about the scientists who worked on the Mars project and why this book is so kid-friendly. It could just be that they all have childlike sensibilities leading to incredibly fun information for children. One area of Mars is labeled Home Plate, and when a rover accidentally digs a ditch and exposes a bright patch of dirt there, the path is "Named Gertrude Weise, in honor of the 1944 star left-handed first baseman in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League." Huh! They have a way with names, these scientists. A patch of rubble accidentally crushed is dubbed Innocent Bystander. And then between the RAT (Rock Abrasion Tool) holes and the blueberries (little circular balls of hematite), the names keep you fascinated. My second theory is that Siy is the one making it interesting. What she chooses to include makes all the difference. Sometimes it's a case of including photographs of people like the kid who won the Name the Rovers Contest. Other times it's how she chooses to describe things. For example, when it comes to the

This is a beautiful and important book that opens up another world to young readers. The images of Mars are astonishing. The writing is fun, yet scientifically informative. Buckle your seat belt for the most far-out road trip ever!