Books About Astronauts and Space

Hello, and happy Wednesday!  To be honest, today feels like a Monday to me…I’ll be glad to get it done with…but with half the week already gone the rest of the week will be rushed to complete our projects!  Today the children are learning about Ancient Egypt as I write about the future of space.  If you’ve followed us for some time, you’ll know that my children are a little crazy about astronauts and space; they have already met two astronauts (Commander Chris Hadfield, and Greg ‘Box’ Johnson,) and they cheered Tim Peake on his launch to the ISS.  I love that space is becoming more accessible to children and they can learn to aim for their dream; even if it isn’t even a possibility yet.  Here are some books that may inspire and inform children and adults about life in space and here on earth.

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Books About Astronauts and Space

I have provided links to these books for both my American and British readers.  Enjoy!

We’ve read this first book together as a family and can highly recommend it.  And did you know that Chris Hadfield is afraid of the dark?  Who better to teach children that they can conquer their fears, The Darkest Dark is on my wish list!

• An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything (UK link here)
• The Darkest Dark (UK link here)
• Chris Hadfield and the International Space Station (Adventures in Space) (UK link here)

Kids are always fascinated about what astronauts eat; why not make some fun recipes at home?  Or do some science experiments to get them thinking about space?

• An Astronaut Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Kids (UK link here)
• The Astronaut’s Cookbook: Tales, Recipes, and More (UK link)
• Maker Lab: 28 Super Cool Projects: Build * Invent * Create * Discover (UK link here)

My children love Lego:  they’d love this Lego Space book, I’m sure!  And for budding artists, learn how to draw all those space objects.

• LEGO Space: Building the Future (UK link here)
• How to Draw Cartoon Spacecraft and Astronauts in Action (UK link here)
• Kids Astronomy Puzzles: Explore the solar system completing over 30 puzzles, word games, and word searches (UK link here)

Mike Massimono’s book has just come out recently and is on my Amazon wish list since I came across it before Christmas.  And it would be interesting to learn about the wives that some of the astronauts leave behind both during training and when they’re out of this world.

• The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story (UK link)
• Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe (UK link here)
• Space Heroes: Amazing Astronauts (DK Readers) (UK link here)

What is it like to live in space? Little explorers will find this interesting.  Chris Hadfield has some videos on his YouTube channel, and the Canadian Space Agency has a load of videos about life in space and what it’s like to be an astronaut in space and here on earth.

• DK Readers L2: Astronaut: Living in Space (UK link here)
• Living in Space (Little Astronauts) (UK link here)
• Living in Space (TIME FOR KIDS® Nonfiction Readers) (UK link here)

And for general information about space, who better to turn to for children that National Geographic and DK books?

• Space Encyclopedia: A Tour of Our Solar System and Beyond (National Geographic Kids) (UK link here)
• Space! (UK link here)
• Outer Space (Discovery Kids) (UK link here)

Fantasy Books:

Fantasy Book List for Ages 8-Teen by Brandi Raae.