"This little mouse may well inspire some big dreams." --Kirkus Reviews

"In this picture book based on the space shuttle Endeavor...Meteor is one of the smallest mice, but the most hardworking...the values of being small, useful, solving problems, and working hard--as opposed to being big and strong--will inspire young readers." --School Library Journal

"Inspired by this real-life mouse, Kelly's first children's book tells the story of Meteor, a lightly anthropomorphized rodent who turns his tininess into an advantage when an important key gets stuck in a crack between two monitors...textured images and vivid portraits that make it absolutely clear that space travel is a larger-than-life adventure." --Publishers Weekly

A heartwarming picture book tale of the power of the small, from bestselling author and retired NASA astronaut Commander Mark Kelly.

Astronaut Mark Kelly flew with "mice-tronauts" on his first spaceflight aboard space shuttle Endeavour in 2001. Mousetronaut tells the story of a small mouse that wants nothing more than to travel to outer space. The little mouse works as hard as the bigger mice to show readiness for the mission . . . and is chosen for the flight! While in space, the astronauts are busy with their mission when disaster strikes--and only the smallest member of the crew can save the day. With lively illustrations by award-winning artist C. F. Payne, Mousetronaut is a charming tale of perseverance, courage, and the importance of the small!

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Young Hoosier Book Award. It was recognised in the Primary School category by the Golden Sower Award. It also was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Black-Eyed Susan Award.

This book is aimed at children in primary school.

This book has been graded for interest at 4-8 years.

There are 40 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2012 by Simon & Schuster .

C. F. Payne has illustrated more than a dozen picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Mousetronaut by astronaut Mark Kelly, the Texas Bluebonnet winner Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy , written by Phil Bildner, and the New York Times bestsellers The Remarkable Farkle McBride and Micawber , both by John Lithgow. He teaches at the Columbus College of Design, where he is the chair of the Illustration Department. Payne lives with his wife and children in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit him online at CFPayne. com. Mark Kelly is a retired astronaut and US Navy Captain. He flew his first of four missions in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, the same space shuttle that he commanded on its final flight in May 2011.