Best Space Books to Empower a Love of Exploration
Get ready to learn about space with these out of this world Space Books for Preschoolers and beyond.
Space is a fascinating topic for all ages. I remember my son being absolutely enthralled with anything and everything space related, but especially when it came to books! There are so many great ones that I read to him before bedtime.
. . . and the idea of literally shooting for the stars is just so intriguing for our littles.
In this house we go all in. I'm happy to buy them books to read about space, we have done SO MANY crafts with space (I even have an ebook, you can find it by clicking here) and I have made SO MANY printables for space too. You can find those here.
Anyway, let's get to it! Here are my top picks, you can click to see them on Amazon here:
Best for Babies, or reading to younger siblings
The MOST FUN to Read (Over 40 Lift the Flaps)
Best for Enjoying Space Tonight
Now, let's get into the real nitty gritty about why I chose each of these books about space, and how to find the right one for you and your child.
Inspirational Space Books for Preschoolers Based on True Stories
For many kids, space is one of the most fascinating topics. They are always asking questions about what it's like to be in space and how astronauts live there. These books will answer some of those questions for your little ones while teaching them more about this great topic.
There are few things more inspiring for young readers than another child in history. It's a common misconception that Pluto was named after the Disney character, but this true story shows a much more heartwarming story. We loved that this story was easy to consume, and it was so inspirational.
Set in the 1930's, you can really feel the English winter in the illustrations. Then with each curiosity, there is a flash of color. You can really see the effect Venetia had on her world. I thought the images were very beautifully done.
After reading this, we talked about a few things:
This is a wonderful story where Mae, an excited and curious little girl wishes to visit the stars someday. Her supporting parents always encouraged her interests, and one day she DID shoot for the stars. In 1992, she became the first Black woman to go to space with the NASA program, aboard Endeavor.
After reading, I asked a few questions to my little reader:
This is a great time for your child to meet someone in the profession they'd like to pursue one day. My daughter wants to be a veternarian, so we are calling our local vet office to see if she can come in and see what the average day of a veternarian looks like.
This story is about these cute little mice who went to space with astronaut / author Mark Kelly, on his first trip into space with the Endeavor in 2001. This is a silly little story showcases how size does not matter, and everyone is mission essential.
Questions and topics to talk about:
This is a bit of a different book from the others. This is still a story about this artist / astronaut's life, but he leads a different life than the others.
When he came home from going to the moon in one of the Apollo missions, he painted many portraits of his fellow astronauts, his experiences, and how he felt on the moon. He was able to get images out that were not recorded, for example, there were no pictures of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, while he was on the moon. Alan Bean was able to articulate that image in a beautiful and realistic painting.
I love how unique all of the astronauts were. Truly anyone can go to space.
The Best Read Aloud Books for Preschoolers
I love these books because they're simple to read and understand, as well as they go over the basics, introducing science terms to kids from a very young age. Then when they are introduced when they're older, the terms will already be familiar.
One last time, if you're interested in the great products we have available for Space lovers out there, click here:
