Some children just love space while others may be intimidated by its vast expanse of the unknown. It can be both fascinating and frightening at the same time, but it takes children with great imaginations and determination to have big dreams that will shape the future of life both here on Earth and further afield. Space Kids is what is currently on our bookshelf to get imaginations moving.
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This year there are going to be many events of note in the skies above so it’s the perfect time to get children interested and excit ed about space! Little Gestalten has just published a new book called Space Kids: An Introduction for Young Explorers by Andrea De Santis and Steve Parker and have kindly sent us a copy for review.
Space Kids is great for those who want to know more about astronomy but don’t know where to start. Lots of information in bite-sized pieces that can easily lead to researching out more information, which is awesome for self-motivated learners and those who like to find the answers to questions. And of course, children who need a little help being inspired to learn more.
Starting at the Big Bang Theory, children are led through the worlds of stars, galaxies, constellations (did you know there are 88 named constellations?), and the sun (did you know a star’s colour shows how hot it is? Or that there are 5 layers to the sun?)
Moving on a little closer to ‘home,’ children will learn about space rockets; what they’re for and what the main parts of them are for. What are the main parts of the ISS? What do astronauts do with their toothpaste? How long does it take to get dressed for a space walk?
Learn about the phases of the moon, how many items of human origin are on the moon and why the footprints left there will not fade.
Yes. There are lots of those everyday kid-questions answered in this book, but without overloading the brain with too much information. But if more information is what your child wants, ask them to write down all of their questions and help them to do further research at the library or online. Help your little explorer widen their knowledge and interest while the iron is hot.
There is a handy glossary at the back of the book for easy reference for curious kids who want to know the definition of a particular word…or those who just like to study words to know them inside and out. Use this resource to create a fun game of space knowledge and create a quiz, if you like.
The illustrations are fun and not too fussy so that the information takes precedence and doesn’t get lost in the message. I especially like the ones showing a few of the named constellations; both ones that totally look like what it was named after, as well as the ones that leave you scratching your head thinking how can four stars alms in a row be seen as a ram?
Tristan noticed a fun connection when he saw Lupus, the wolf and thought that perhaps JK Rowling was using the constellations as an inspiration for Lupus, the werewolf….
Space Kids: An Introduction for Young Explorers would be good for children 5 or 6 and under with someone older reading it to them. The illustrations will keep them interested and they will be happy exploring the pictures and asking questions. For primary school-aged children, they should be able to read it themselves and search out more information to answer their questions. Thus this book will span a little larger age group than it seems at first.
Available through Gestalten, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk
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