Description
From author An Leysen who made the breathtaking and magical retellings of classic fairy tales such as Brave Thumbelina, Baba Yaga, Beauty and the Beast and more. Mara's biggest wish is to become an astronaut - to discover new planets. Sometimes dreams and wishes come true . . . She lands on the most beautiful planet she has ever seen. But the planet is in trouble and only Mara can help. A wonderful space adventure about a small girl with big dreams and a big heart. For astronauts and explorers ages 6 and up. "As a child I was obsessed with fairy tales and think I've never outgrown them. In fairy tales anything is possible, even the unthinkable. In that way Mara the Space Traveler is a sort of fairy tale too. Not a classic, like Snow White, Little Red Riding-Hood or Thumbelina, but a modern fairy tale in a contemporary setting and with a topic that's closer to the experiences of young children today. The villain is not a scary wolf or a mean witch but the heat of the sun destroying all life. And you have this young and strong heroine, who travels through space in a self-built spaceship to discover new planets. But above all, it's a story about friendship: how Maura conquers her fears and saves her new friends and finds a solution to avert the fiery look of the sun king from the beautiful garden. In the end, the reader keeps wondering whether or not this adventure really happened. Maybe it was all a dream? But then whose paw print is in the back of the dream diary? I want to leave room for imagination, and inspire the (young) readers to dream and make wild plans, and let them believe that they can come true. I hope this fairy tale may be an open door to a magic world . . ." - An Leysen Guided Reading Level N
National Publicity campaign IndieBound/Advance Access copies available for indie booksellers NetGalley featured title Edelweiss DRC Newsletter feature Social media campaign across all platforms Heavy industry specific advertising campaigns Promotions at ALA Annual Submission to relevant awards Lexile Levelling, Guided Reading Levels provided Email campaign
About the Author
An Leysen (1972) is married to visual artist Jef Faes. They have a daughter together, Louise (2004), who has art running through her veins too. After all, Louise already made some illustrations for both Tanneke de heksenprinses ('Tanneke, the Princess of Witches') and Prinses Dommelijntje ('The Princess Who Could Not Sleep'). An Leysen works as a teacher in Turnhout (Belgium). She teaches 'creation' and 'fashion drawing'. In her spare time she likes to - what else? - read and draw.
Reviews
"I really liked this book. Mara dreams of being an astronaut and when she wishes on a star her dreams come true. The planet, creatures, and story were all very creative. This would be a great book to add to the bedtime story collection as it could encourage some amazing dreams." - Indigo Books and Music "Mara wants to be a space traveler and explore the universe. When she can't sleep, she looks up at the sky and imagines her adventures. Tonight she travels to a planet once green with cute, little alien creatures who need her help. The Sun King, they tell her, loved their garden so much he got too close, and now their garden grows smaller as the desert grows larger. They need Mara to convince him to look the other way. She braves the desert and tells the Sun King to stop. Then she explores the water and plays with the alien creatures who live in the ocean. When she returns to shore, she finds the Sun King has retreated to a safer distance and the garden is growing again. Hooray! Mara is their hero. I really enjoyed this weird, little book. I say weird, but I mean it in a good way. It's quirky with elements of science fiction and adventure. The art is beautiful and the creatures imaginative. There's even a cool illustration of Mara's explorer diary at the end. It's the perfect read for your own little explorers and could spark imaginative space adventures, discussions about the universe, and even open a discussion about what kinds of alien creatures your kids might meet if they got to travel through space. What kind of world would they find? I personally would love to read some more of Mara's adventures and hope this develops into a series." - NC State University Libraries "The illustrations in this book are beautifully crafted, the idea is exciting and, as myth, it worked. You start out thinking that Mara is going to follow a more scientific path towards becoming the astronaut of her dreams. When she meets aliens and a sun king, she is the one to save the alien planet or, in truth, to facilitate the saving of the planet by an act of confrontation in the face of power. Now I am beginning to see a representation of another young girl, who had an idea and stood up to those in power. So, perhaps, this story can be an inspiration. Not so much for an aspiring female astronaut but for an aspiring female social-political activist. Did I say that the illustrations are beautiful." - Chichester College
Book Information
ISBN 9781605375274
Author An Leysen
Format Hardback
Page Count 56
Imprint Clavis Publishing
Publisher Clavis Publishing
National Publicity campaign IndieBound/Advance Access copies available for indie booksellers NetGalley featured title Edelweiss DRC Newsletter feature Social media campaign across all platforms Heavy industry specific advertising campaigns Promotions at ALA Annual Submission to relevant awards Lexile Levelling, Guided Reading Levels provided Email campaign
About the Author
An Leysen (1972) is married to visual artist Jef Faes. They have a daughter together, Louise (2004), who has art running through her veins too. After all, Louise already made some illustrations for both Tanneke de heksenprinses ('Tanneke, the Princess of Witches') and Prinses Dommelijntje ('The Princess Who Could Not Sleep'). An Leysen works as a teacher in Turnhout (Belgium). She teaches 'creation' and 'fashion drawing'. In her spare time she likes to - what else? - read and draw.
Reviews
"I really liked this book. Mara dreams of being an astronaut and when she wishes on a star her dreams come true. The planet, creatures, and story were all very creative. This would be a great book to add to the bedtime story collection as it could encourage some amazing dreams." - Indigo Books and Music "Mara wants to be a space traveler and explore the universe. When she can't sleep, she looks up at the sky and imagines her adventures. Tonight she travels to a planet once green with cute, little alien creatures who need her help. The Sun King, they tell her, loved their garden so much he got too close, and now their garden grows smaller as the desert grows larger. They need Mara to convince him to look the other way. She braves the desert and tells the Sun King to stop. Then she explores the water and plays with the alien creatures who live in the ocean. When she returns to shore, she finds the Sun King has retreated to a safer distance and the garden is growing again. Hooray! Mara is their hero. I really enjoyed this weird, little book. I say weird, but I mean it in a good way. It's quirky with elements of science fiction and adventure. The art is beautiful and the creatures imaginative. There's even a cool illustration of Mara's explorer diary at the end. It's the perfect read for your own little explorers and could spark imaginative space adventures, discussions about the universe, and even open a discussion about what kinds of alien creatures your kids might meet if they got to travel through space. What kind of world would they find? I personally would love to read some more of Mara's adventures and hope this develops into a series." - NC State University Libraries "The illustrations in this book are beautifully crafted, the idea is exciting and, as myth, it worked. You start out thinking that Mara is going to follow a more scientific path towards becoming the astronaut of her dreams. When she meets aliens and a sun king, she is the one to save the alien planet or, in truth, to facilitate the saving of the planet by an act of confrontation in the face of power. Now I am beginning to see a representation of another young girl, who had an idea and stood up to those in power. So, perhaps, this story can be an inspiration. Not so much for an aspiring female astronaut but for an aspiring female social-political activist. Did I say that the illustrations are beautiful." - Chichester College
Book Information
ISBN 9781605375274
Author An Leysen
Format Hardback
Page Count 56
Imprint Clavis Publishing
Publisher Clavis Publishing
