If you’re looking for the best space books for kids, I’ve got you covered!
With the recent Space X and NASA launch, I’ve been more interested in reading books about space.
There are so many amazing space books for kids — picture books, board books, fiction and non-fiction. Reading these books will have your children (or students) wanting to visit the moon and blast off in a rocketship.
Whether you’re looking for more books to read or something for your future astronaut, these are 15 of the best space books for kids.
The Best Space Books for Kids
The stars are the limit for a little girl who acts out her wish to be an astronaut — inspired by a very special person.
Astrid has loved the stars and space for as long as she can remember. “I want to be an astronaut!” she says to everyone who will listen. While her mama is away, Astrid and her papa have fun acting out the challenges an astronaut faces on a space mission — like being in zero gravity (“I can do that all day long!” she says), eating food from a kind of tube, and doing science experiments with the help of cookie sheets. When at last it’s time to meet Mama at the air base, Astrid wears her favorite space T-shirt to greet her. But where exactly has Mama been? Channeling a sense of childlike delight, Ken Wilson-Max brings space travel up close for young readers and offers an inspiring ending.
The story of Katherine Johnson, an African-American mathematician who worked for NASA during the space race and was depicted in the book and film Hidden Figures.
You’ve likely heard of the historic Apollo 13 moon landing. But do you know about the mathematical genius who made sure that Apollo 13 returned safely home?
As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math, about the universe.
From Katherine’s early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, this is the story of a groundbreaking American woman who not only calculated the course of moon landings but, in turn, saved lives and made enormous contributions to history.
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math … really good.
They participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America’s first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.
In this illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as “colored computers,” and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.
Once there was a boy, and that boy loved stars very much. So much so that he decided to catch one of his very own. But how? Waiting for them to grow tired from being up in the sky all night doesn’t work. Climbing to the top of the tallest tree? No, not tall enough. The boy has a rocket ship … but it is made of paper and doesn’t fly well at all. Finally, just when the boy is ready to give up, he learns that sometimes things aren’t where, or what, we expect them to be.
First-time author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers offers a simple, childlike tale of reaching for the stars, and emerging with a friend.
Neil Armstrong’s journey to the moon is the focus of the fifteenth picture book in the New York Times bestselling series of biographies about heroes.
This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great — the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero’s childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume tells the story of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon.
With an introduction from Neil DeGrasse Tyson about the importance of kid-like curiosity, this lyrical picture book biography on the beloved astrophysicist and host of Cosmos is the perfect gift for young astronomers and fans of all ages.
Neil deGrasse Tyson was born curious. And the secrets of a billion galaxies lay there — waiting for him to explore its cosmic mysteries. He just had to look up. Up beyond the city lights, up at the shining stars, up through the Milky Way, and past the veil of the night sky.
Follow young Neil’s journey as he discovers the wonders of space, the thrill of science, and the joy in sharing the beauty of our amazing universe. Read his favorite mind-blowing facts and learn what mysteries are left to solve.
From On a Beam of Light author Jennifer Berne and debut paper illustrator Lorraine Nam comes the inspiring true tale of Neil’s life and how he became a world-famous astrophysicist.
The future of discovery lays with you. Look up with Neil and begin your own journey into the cosmos.
Inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison.
When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.
She wanted to be an astronaut.
Her mom told her, “If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”
Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents’ encouraging words, paved the way for her success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.
Margaret Hamilton loved numbers as a young girl. She knew how many miles it was to the moon (and how many back). She loved studying algebra and geometry and calculus and using math to solve problems in the outside world.
Soon math led her to MIT and then to helping NASA put a man on the moon! She handwrote code that would allow the spacecraft’s computer to solve any problems it might encounter. Apollo 8. Apollo 9. Apollo 10. Apollo 11. Without her code, none of those missions could have been completed.
Dean Robbins and Lucy Knisley deliver a lovely portrayal of a pioneer in her field who never stopped reaching for the stars.
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly was the first to spend an entire year in space! Discover his awe-inspiring journey in this fascinating picture book memoir that takes readers from Scott’s childhood as an average student to his record-breaking year among the stars.
Scott Kelly wasn’t sure what he wanted to be when he grew up. He struggled in school and often got in trouble with his twin brother, Mark.
Then one day Scott discovered a book about test pilots and astronauts that set him on a new path.
His new focus led him to fly higher and higher, becoming first a pilot and then an astronaut, along with his brother — the first twin astronauts in history. But his greatest accomplishment of all was commanding the International Space Station and spending nearly a year in space, which set the record for the longest spaceflight by an American.
This story of an ordinary boy who grew up to do extraordinary things will amaze and inspire you.
Blast off into space with New York Times bestselling author and artists James Dean and everyone’s favorite cat-stronaut, Pete the Cat, in Pete the Cat: Out of This World.
When Pete heads off to space camp, he gets to float in zero gravity, build rockets, and even goes on an extraordinary interstellar mission that is out of this world — literally. Houston, ready to rock out with Pete the Cat!
It’s been fifty years since Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon. But the journey didn’t begin when he stepped on board Apollo 11 that fateful day in July 1969. It began the day he was born.
This picture book is Buzz Aldrin’s story, in his words. Wendell Minor’s gorgeous paintings evoke the wonder of space exploration for young readers.
Becoming an astronaut took more than education, discipline, and physical strength. It took years of determination and believing that any goal was possible — from riding a bike alone across the George Washington Bridge at age ten to making a footprint on the moon.
We all have our own dreams. This is the story of how Buzz’s came true.
Inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield and brought to life by Terry and Eric Fan’s lush, evocative illustrations, The Darkest Dark will encourage readers to dream the impossible.
Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he’s a brave astronaut, exploring the universe. Only one problem — at night, Chris doesn’t feel so brave. He’s afraid of the dark.
But when he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, he realizes that space is the darkest dark there is–and the dark is beautiful and exciting, especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.
An empowering, inspiring — and accessible! — nonfiction picture book about the eleven-year-old girl who actually named the newly discovered Pluto in 1930.
When Venetia Burney’s grandfather reads aloud from the newspaper about a new discovery — a “ninth major planet” that has yet to be named–her eleven-year-old mind starts whirring. She is studying the planets in school and loves Roman mythology. “It might be called Pluto,” she says, thinking of the dark underworld. Grandfather loves the idea and contacts his friend at London’s Royal Astronomical Society, who writes to scientists at the Lowell Observatory in Massachusetts, where Pluto was discovered. After a vote, the scientists agree unanimously: Pluto is the perfect name for the dark, cold planet.
Here is a picture book perfect for STEM units and for all children — particularly girls — who have ever dreamed of becoming a scientist.
Learn about outer space with the help of everyone’s favorite Cat in the Hat!
The Cat in the Hat takes readers on an out of this world reading adventure in this nonfiction book all about our solar system. Learn about the planets, the constellations, and astronauts, and explore the wonders of space. Perfect for aspiring astraunauts, or any kid who loves learning and science.
The universe is a mysterious place. We are only just learning what happens in space.
As we look back to the beginnings of the space race, 2009 is also the year for looking forward to humankind’s next step toward the stars.In the spirit of books that once imagined colonies on the moon, Patrick O’Brien has created a unique look at your first trip to Mars. Using the most up-to-date designs and theories of what it will take to establish a base on Mars, you are off on an incredible journey, over 35 million miles to the red planet. Filled with details, and vividly brought to life, this is an adventure that you are never going to forget.
So if you’re looking for the best space books for kids, I hope you’ll find some great options in this list! These books will inspire your kids or students and help them reach for the stars!
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