Books about Space

Children are naturally drawn to the mystery and wonder of space exploration and naturally ask big questions about our planet Earth and its place in the universe. With much ground being broken in space technology over the last year, it is no wonder that children have been as curious as ever about the great beyond. One of the most notably achievements perhaps was the launch of the James Web telescope on Christmas Day 2021 and the incredible, high-resolution pictures it is sending back to Earth of the oldest and most distant edges of space.

There have also been some fantastic children’s books published about space in the last few years. Skygazing by Anna Claybourne and Kerry Hyndman is one of our favourites, published in 2021, and offers many rich opportunities for children to develop their knowledge of astronomy, weather and the technology that they might spot in the skies. Children will find the answers to burning questions such as: how is a rainbow formed? Why is the sky blue? Where does rain come from? What causes day and night? There are also many practical experiments that they can carry out at home or in the classroom. Another favourite of ours is Earthrise, published in 2018, by James Gladstone and beautifully illustrated by Christy Lundy. This tells the inspiring human story behind the first spaceflight to fly around the moon and take the iconic photo known as Earthrise.

There are so many great books about space for children that we decided they needed their own list. We have included books that are biographies, such as Hidden Figures, fictions books with space as a backdrop, such as Toys in Space by Mini Grey and information texts which skilfully make a huge subject accessible and engaging for children, such as Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by the renowned astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson.

Posted in: Book Lists