Wanda Hears the Stars
Amy S. Hansen, author
Amy S. Hansen is an award-winning science writer who has published more than thirty books. Her favorite part of her job is finding out the answers to mysteries. Sometimes that means interviewing people, traveling to new places, or taking things apart to see how they work. It always means reading a lot!
Read more about Amy.
Wanda Díaz Merced, author
Wanda Díaz Merced believes that science is for everyone! As a blind astrophysicist, she studies the stars by turning data into sound. She is a leading advocate for multisensorial data, which increases access to information, and has spoken before the UN and given TED talks about the need for more inclusive science.
Read more about Wanda.
Rocío Arreola Mendoza, illustrator
Rocío Arreola Mendoza is the illustrator of Sea of Constellations, Paula's Patches, and other picture books for children. She is also a freelance illustrator and the co-founder of Cúrcumas, a women-led creative studio. She lives with her family in northern Mexico.
Read more about Rocío.
- Coming soon!
Kirkus Reviews
WANDA HEARS THE STARS A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe Author: Amy S. Hansen Author: Wanda Díaz Merced Illustrator: Rocío Arreola Mendoza Review Issue Date: July 1, 2025 Online Publish Date: May 30, 2025 Publisher:Charlesbridge Pages: 40 Price ( Hardcover ): $18.99 Publication Date: August 19, 2025 ISBN ( Hardcover ): 9781623544874 Section: Children's Astronomer and co-author Díaz Merced explains how, after going blind, she used sound to make a groundbreaking discovery.
In Gurabo, Wanda’s Puerto Rican hometown, the rainforest hid the stars. So when 9-year-old Wanda witnessed a meteor shower, she “lit up with wonder.” Her curiosity persisted; in college, Wanda studied physics and “aimed for the stars.” But in Wanda’s third year, she went blind as a result of diabetes, and “the stars had dimmed, too. How could she study what she couldn’t see?” Fortunately, a friend introduced Wanda to radio waves that recorded sounds from space, and “she heard a path to the sky.” At NASA, Wanda used sonification—the conversion of visual data into sounds—to study the stars. Still, she worried about keeping up with her colleagues. Through sonification, however, Wanda discovered oscillations in a star’s energy, something nobody else had noticed—confirming that “using sound didn’t mean she had less information. It just meant she had to work differently.” The onomatopoeia-adorned text includes Spanish dialogue and concludes with a rousing invitation: “Look up! ¡Mira arriba! The stars belong to everyone!” Arreola Mendoza’s vibrant cartoon illustrations, with dark, jewel-toned hues evoking the night sky, convey Wanda’s fascination and determination and the beauty of space. Extensive backmatter provides further details about sonification and Díaz Merced’s adaptation to blindness. Most figures, including Wanda, have brown skin.
Uplifting and informative.
English Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-487-4
Spanish Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-488-1
Ages: 6–9
Page count: 40
81/2 x 11
Publication date: August 19, 2025