Ron's Big Mission

This book can be a wonderful, age-appropriate way to introduce some of the issues of race disparity and struggle in our past, which is part of the backdrop of such issues today. It can also be a great example of a boy, who is black, who loves reading and science and air planes and, as the book explains after the story, pursues those interests all the way to becoming an astronaut as an adult. Exciting stuff!As a white mother of white children I am making a concerted effort to speak to them openly about color, and to point out differences. Kids see these differences whether or not grownups speak about them, and I want to make sure the first input my children get on the subject comes from me and not a random child at school, or a movie or TV show they see somewhere later. I want to expose my kids, as best as I am able from my place of privilege, to a variety of people from many places - and books are part of how I hope to do this. This book was a big winner for my five-year-old on several levels. He's into science and outer space, and most importantly, he understands how libraries work. The idea that a kid who loved books would not be able to check out a book from a library because of the color of his skin (or for any reason), not to mention that grownups would actually call the police because the kid politely (though standing on a counter) insisted he be allowed to check out books, was incredible to him. The setting and mechanism of how it all is supposed to work (a library), vs. how it had been working for Ron, was something he could relate to. This was a good basic, early exposure to a subject that's hard to understand, while still leaving a kid feeling good about Ron's victory at the end of the story. My son asked to read the book many times over the course of several weeks, and I'm sure we'll be reading it again soon.

This is an excellent book based on the true story of Ronald McNair, physicist and NASA astronaut. My grandchildren were very excited to get this book for Christmas and I ordered a copy for myself as well.Highly recommend!

We had originally purchased this book thinking it would touch on Ron McNair's career as an astronaut, but were still happily surprised by a different story. This book is a great book for toddlers and young children to have discussions around justice and the importance of standing up for what is right. Wonderfully empowering and a great conversation starter. Also beautifully illustrated and such a great contribution to our children's library we look forward to always having.

This book is a great read! After reading this book, not only was I touched but it inspired me to want to further educate my children about our history. For the writers to have such a great ability to put it in simple text for the youngest child to understand it is awesome. Please read this book to your children, history is apart of each and every one of us and if you avoid it you are bound to repeat it. This young man in this story not only experienced this form of racism but also grew up to become a successful astronaut. I have experienced racism and it is real. The character in this book depicted true bravery and courage these are traits I want to pass on to my children. So if you are debated reading this book to your kids take the advice from a highly educated individual with a background in education, it is a good read!!!

This continues to be one of our favorite books. I first read it to my son when he was 4 years old and now he is almost 7 and we still love it. This is a story of how it doesn't matter who you are (a child in this case), you can resist oppression. Ron's story is one of resistance from start to finish - from being a nerdy boy who loves books (despite not being able to check out a book, he went to the library and read them), to taking a stand and demanding a library card, to becoming an astronaut. The history of all people is resistance and as evil as racism is and as hard as it is teach our children about the malevolence that has been in our society from the getgo, teaching our children stories of resistance as our history is made easier with books like this one. The illustrations are great too.

I am a science teacher and love including literature in my program. This book is great because it gets kids excited about an important cause, and gives them a great introduction to a great scientist, activist, and American hero. It is a great way to start conversations about race relations, activism, overcoming obstacles, bravery, and making a contribution to society, even as a child.

A parent at a school complained about this book's content and frankly I don't see why. I loved that the little boy who was persistent in his goal(s) was none other than one of the astronauts who was killed on that fateful Challenger voyage. That resonated with me even more to know he went on to attain his goal e.g. that of astronaut. It should stand as an example to all, that we CAN attain goals if we put our minds to it. Lovely book; lovely message; but sad he's no longer "with" us yet his legacy lives on.

The day a young reader receives their first library card opens the door to new adventures. For Ron McNair, that journey was not easy...especially in the 1950s. All Ron wanted to do was read books about planes and space. He could do that at his local library, but he was not allowed to check them out because of the color of his skin. Ron’s Big Mission tells the story of how young Ron desegregated his public library and finally got his very own library card. And guess what...Ron McNair grew up to be a scientist and astronaut!