American author Kristen Fulton and Belgian illustrator Diego Funck join forces in this picture-book about Robert Goddard, an early 20th-century physicist and inventor whose discoveries would become an essential part of the field of rocket science. Becoming interested in science as a young boy, he conducted many experiments, some of them quite explosive, eventually going on to work on the idea of rocketry. On March 26th, 1926, after many failed attempts, Goddard launched the very first liquid-fueled rocket. His experiments and inventions - he held 214 patents in his lifetime - would help to pave the way for space exploration, being used in everything from space shuttle design to radio transmission...

When Sparks Fly: The True Story of Robert Goddard, the Father of US Rocketry was the fourth picture-book biography I have read from Fulton, following upon such titles as Flight for Freedom: The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany, Long May She Wave: The True Story of Caroline Pickersgill and Her Star-Spangled Creation and A Royal Ride: Catherine the Great's Great Invention. I had never heard of Goddard, before picking up the book, and was interested to learn about his influential experiments and inventions. Although informative, when it came to Goddard's role in advancing rocket science, I did feel that the narrative here was insufficient, from a biographical perspective. Goddard moves from child to adult in the artwork and story, without any discussion of his life, from where he was educated (Clark University), to what his profession was (university professor at Princeton). The narrative doesn't really discuss how Goddard, who was very shy, worked alone and without any official support or recognition. Apparently his work was even mocked in the press, upon occasion! None of this, which I discovered on a cursory google search, was part of Fulton's narrative here, even though it is interesting, relevant, and (in the case of the public ridicule) could build the reader's sympathy for Goddard and his struggle. There's nothing terribly wrong here, but given my lukewarm feelings about the narrative, and the fact that Funck's accompanying artwork wasn't really to my taste, this was a low three-star title for me. It's good enough, as far as it goes, but left me feeling that it could have been a lot better. I'd recommend it less as a biography, and more as supplementary title for picture-book readers interested in the history of rocketry and the very beginnings of space exploration. ( )