My younger boys love learning about the sky and space so much that I wanted to create a list of books. This list includes both picture books and field guides that are a nice list of sky and space books for kids.
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50 Things to See With a Telescope – From the author of the bestselling book 50 Things to See with a Small Telescope, this colorful edition explores the constellations with young readers, guiding them to dozens of galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. Every page features a helpful “telescope view”, showing exactly how objects appear through a small telescope or binoculars.
Astronomy for Kids: How to Explore Outer Space with Binoculars, a Telescope or Just Eyes! – One of the coolest things about outer space is that anyone can explore it. All you have to do is go outside and look up! Using plain sight, binoculars, or a small telescope, Astronomy for Kids shows stargazers how easy it is to explore space, just by stepping outside. With this book as their guide to the northern hemisphere, kids will learn to find and name amazing objects in the night sky.
Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and Constellations – Children eight and up will enjoy this conversational but information-packed introduction to astronomy and stargazing, which includes the achievements of the great scientists, the history of space exploration, the story of our solar system, the myths behind the constellations, and how to navigate the night sky. Whimsical color illustrations on every page and handy definitions and sidebars help engage younger readers and develop their interest. The special star wheel helps locate stars and planets from any location at any time of year. This is the third in Black Dog & Leventhal’s successful series including The Story of the Orchestra and A Child’s Introduction to Poetry.
Our Stars – Scientists use telescopes and satellites to study the stars. But even though they’re far away, stars are part of your world, too! Just lift up your eyes to see. Anne Rockwell explains the universe with bright pictures and simple text in a book that will delight any curious child’s mind!
The Sun and The Moon – The sun is out in the day and always has a circle shape. The moon’s shape seems to change and you can sometimes see it in the daytime and at night. What are the sun and the moon? How are they the same and how do they differ? Hop into your spaceship and find out!
The Planets in our Solar System – Where is it partly cloudy and 860°F? Venus! This classic picture book is a fascinating exploration of space written by children’s nonfiction veteran and former chairman of the American Museum of Natural History–Hayden Planetarium Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by Kevin O’Malley. Full of interesting facts about the eight planets in our solar system, including our very own Earth, this bestselling book also features photographs from Voyager and other space explorers.
The Moon Seems to Change -Have you noticed that the moon sometimes seems to grow and shrink? Read and find out about the phases of the moon! With a simple experiment using an orange, a pencil, and a flashlight, you can see for yourself why the moon looks different at different times of the month.
The Moon Book– Shining light on all kinds of fascinating facts about our moon, this simple, introductory book includes information on how the moon affects the oceans’ tides, why the same side of the moon always faces earth, why we have eclipses, and more.
Papa, Please Get The Moon for Me – The story literally unfolds as the pages extend both outward and upward, and readers will empathize with Monica’s longing for the moon as well as be reassured by her father’s willingness to try to make her dream come true. Children and adults alike will enjoy this beloved tale about a father’s love!
Rocket to the Moon! – On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” when the Apollo 11 landed on the moon. But it wasn’t just one man who got us to the moon. Rocket to the Moon! explores the people and technology that made the moon landing possible. Instead of examining one person’s life, it focuses on the moon landing itself, showing the events leading up to it and how it changed the world.
The Big Dipper – If they are, chances are you’ll be able to spot the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is one of the easiest constellations to recognize and this Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book will help young stargazers find it, and it’s companion, the Little Dipper. And once you’ve begun to learn about the constellations, well, the sky’s the limit!
The Stars: A New Way to See Them – This is a clear, vivid text with charts and maps showing the positions of the constellations the year round.
Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations – Take an illuminating ride through the starry night sky with National Geographic’s Zoo in the Sky! Little Bear and the Great Bear in the Northern Sky; the scaly dragon winding his long tail; the Great Dog chasing the Hare in the Southern Sky; all are beautifully rendered in Christina Balit’s vibrant art, studded with shiny stars, which perfectly illustrates Jacqueline Mitton’s rich text.
Link up your sky and space nature study post during the Nature Book Club on February 20-28!
Do you have a favorite book about Sky and Space?
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