Laika the Space Dog: First Hero in Outer Space

by Jeni Wittrock, Erika Toth (Illustrator)

Overview

From a stray on the streets to the first dog in the stars! Aboard the Russian spacecraft Sputnik 2, Laika became the first living creature to travel to outer space. See the story unfold as one heroic little dog makes a huge sacrifice to help people learn about space travel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781479554676
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Series:	Animal Heroes
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,056,460
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.70(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	NC720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jeni Wittrock is a resident of Mankato, Minnesota, a city about 30 miles south of her hometown, New Ulm. She studied poetry and nonfiction at Minnesota State University Mankato and graduated in 2005 with a MFA in creative writing. Jenny enjoys running around and playing games outside, reading and writing, taking photos, swimming in lakes, shoe shopping, watching movies, and listening to music. She is passionate about animals, and she loves to spoil her two cats, three rabbits, four hermit crabs, and tankful of fish.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2014
Gr 2–5—These picture books retell the stories of famous animals. Sgt. Reckless and Stubby were war heroes, while Laika was the first creature to be sent into outer space, and Scarlett rescued her kittens from a burning building. Only Laika portrays a title animal who did not survive the call to duty—but does so gently and honestly. An "Afterword" in each title provides a photo and update on what happened after the main events, except for Scarlett, which describes the aftermath of her rescue in the main text. Illustrations vary across titles. Most are realistic, although the cartoon faces of the people in Sgt. Reckless are jarring compared with the realistic treatment of the horse. The quality of the back matter is inconsistent. Collections that already have Hero Cat (Two Lions, 2011) won't need Scarlett, and the slightly more advanced Stubby the War Dog (National Geographic, 2014) may trump Stubby. Larger libraries or those in need of more titles on heroic animals may find this series of use.

School Library Journal