Hello, friends! Our book today is Hey-Ho, To Mars We’ll Go!: A Space-Age Version Of “The Farmer In The Dell”, written by Susan Lendroth and illustrated by Bob Kolar. This delightful take on the classic nursery rhyme teaches readers about what it would take to explore the next great destination in space travel, Mars.

Using the familiar cadence of “The Farmer In The Dell”, the text takes us through a theoretical journey to the red planet, beginning with the vehicles it would require, the planning and logistics that would need to be done, and the supplies that would need to be brought. It then follows our intrepid quartet of young astronauts along their journey, explaining their gear, food, sleeping arrangements, and everyday life through the long zero-gravity journey to Mars.

What a lovely surprise this was! I had expected a fun, imaginary interplanetary journey, which the story provides, but was so tickled to find that most of the content was grounded in the real science of astronautics! In addition to the rhyming quartet each page presents, there is also a paragraph explaining things like how a vessel large enough to travel to Mars would need to be built, how astronauts could grow plants for food in space, how an astronaut takes a shower, and so on. Most of these facts were new to me as well as JJ, and made for a fascinating and fun read! The bright, cheerful illustrations of the little astronauts and their journey are visually engaging while being informative, and we LOVED the detail of the text slowing being rotated when the story enters zero-gravity, adding an interactive element that JJ went wild for. The length was great, and it was a perfect balance of learning and fun – great for future astronauts and fans of STEM. Enthusiastically Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)