The Only Astronaut – Mahak Jain

A girl who loves solo space travel learns that having a partner can be even better.

Avni loves being the only astronaut in her space station. She’s in charge of when she takes off and where she goes. But space exploration can be a lot of work for one astronaut. It’s time for a new mission: find an assistant. Avni crisscrosses the distant galaxies (her neighborhood) in search of the perfect partner. Does that even exist? Will Avni make space for a copilot or will it be mission impossible?

Andrea Stegmaier’s dynamic and highly detailed art uses line drawing overlays in orange, for Avni, and blue, for Aya, to cleverly depict the world as seen in each of their imaginations. It’s a terrific representation of a child making room for both their own creativity and another’s perspective.

Andrea was born in 1979 in Freiburg, Germany. When she was a kid, she wanted to become an alligator-catcher in Alaska. This lasted for a few months until her parents told her that there are no alligators in Alaska. Trying to find a new profession, she later went to university to study German, history of art and architecture. She had worked as an architect for ten years when she turned her passion for children’s books into her new career. Since 2018 she has illustrated several books for different publishers and loves every day filled with drawing and painting. Andrea lives with her two kids and her husband in Stuttgart, a busy town in the south of Germany.

Instagram: @andrea_stegmaier

Twitter: @andreastegmaier

About the Illustrator: Andrea Stegmaier