Recently, our family was invited to check out Beyond Spaceship Earth: The International Space Station, a new permanent exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. To say we enjoyed it was an understatement:
The Children’s Museum did a great job of taking a relatively small space and transforming it into a totally new experience. They also made some amazing updates to the Planetarium, including a tribute to Indiana’s own Gus Grissom:
If you get a chance to visit Indianapolis, make sure to take time to check out this awesome exhibit — along with all the other great experiences The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has to offer.
Because I am That Mom, I made sure we read some great books about space and astronauts before our visit. If you have space-loving kids in your family, I think they will enjoy these books as much as we did!
9 Great Kids’ Books About Astronauts and Space
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A is for Astronaut by Traci N. Todd – This simple book illustrates different aspects of space exploration, including things for every letter of the alphabet. This book is great for little ones just starting to learn about space.
Moustronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story by Mark Kelly – This book is authored by astronaut Mark Kelly, and tells the story of a little mouse who must work hard to prove himself to the other moustronauts. On his mission, he gets a chance to save the day!
There’s No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System by Tish Rabe – This classic from the Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library has been revised and updated (RIP Pluto), but it’s still full of rhyming fun. This is an excellent choice for early readers.
National Geographic Kids First Big Book of Space by Catherine D. Hughes – Big bright illustrations and lots of fun facts make this book stand out. This book is fun to read aloud to little ones, but also works well for young readers who want to learn more about space.
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen – A field trip with Ms. Frizzle is always an adventure! This time, the Magic School Bus crew gets lost in space, and ends up learning all about our amazing solar system. For more advanced readers, check out Space Explorers from the Magic School Bus Chapter Books series.
Eight Spinning Planets by Brian James – This bright book is totally touchable and great for little hands. In addition to learning about each planet, readers also learn about counting backwards as they travel through the solar system.
I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton – What exactly do astronauts do while they are up in space? This picture book explains how astronauts work, what they eat, and other aspects of life in space.
Fly Guy Presents: Space by Tedd Arnold – My seven-year-old read this to his five-year-old brother, and they both loved the fun facts and crazy illustrations. Fly Guy and Buzz are always a hit in our house, and this book did not disappoint.
Astronaut Handbook by Meg McCarthy – What type of training does it take to become an astronaut? Meg McCarthy explores astronaut training in a kid-friendly way. This is the perfect book for kids who dream of becoming an astronaut one day.
Our family loves these books, and we hope you think they are out of this world, too!
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This is such a great collection of books on space. My son had the National Geographic one and he loved it!
Thank you! We have loved every National Geographic book we’ve bought or checked out. They do a great job of presenting facts in an interesting way!
You might also like my very recent book Astronauts Zoom! which includes 50% women astronauts, among them the first all-woman spacewalking team. Please let me know if you would like to see the digital review copy.