Stella wants to be an astronaut.
She tries everything to be accepted to travel into space, but keeps being rejected.
Each time Stella is told no, she finds a way to meet the requirements.
She makes her own space suit, and studies all the information she needs to know.
Stella practices and prepares so she can be ready for space flight.
Unfortunately, space command tells Stella that she's too heavy for the rocket.
What's Stella to do? She gets creative and builds her own rocket, of course.
When the bureaucrats still find a reason to stop Stella from going into space, she doesn't give up.
James Foley's words and illustrations place Stella at at the centre of the story, and have a great retro feel about them.
The endpapers at the back of the book have been used to feature a gallery of the animals who have travelled into space in real life. There are many more than you would think. In addition to the most well known, a dog and a chimpanzee, there have also been frogs, a guinea pig, goldfish, and a gecko, amongst others.
Stellarphant is a story of being creative and innovative, and overcoming prejudice. It's also about dreaming big and never giving up.
Teaching notes can be downloaded from the publisher's website.
Title: Stellarphant
Author/Illustrator: James Foley
Publisher: Fremantle Press, $24.99
Publication Date: November 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760990732
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Books
