Children's Space Books Books

Large type, easy-on-the-eye page layout with effective use of graphics and color, and lots of clear photographs make this book very child-friendly. Information about the history of the space program and biographies about many astronauts (including women and minorities) are presented in an interesting style. Children will want to know how astronauts eat and go to the bathroom on a space flight and that information is included. Also included are basics such as the first person in space and where the word astronaut comes from (2 Greek words meaning "star sailor"). This book might inspire very young children to consider a career as an astronaut or working in some capacity in the space program.

This is an excellent resource for children ages 9-12 who are interested in space. This full-color photographs are eye-catching and the text is interesting and informative. This book could be useful as a resource for research, but it may be limited if the research were too indepth. Overall, this is an excellent book and would make a good addition to a children's library collection, a classroom collection or a home collection.

This is a great book for beginning readers. The only problem I found with this book was that it focused on more than one consonant or vowel blend in each book. Instead of just focusing on the "oo" blend, it had a variety of sounds in it. I was looking more for a book with one blend. My daughter who is slow reading was quickly able to read this book herself which was a real confidence booster.

The teacher may want to use this book to integrate math and history instruction. The book contains various story problems relevant to the design and survey of Washington DC. Also discussed is the building of the White House in 1792, the Capitol in 1793, and more modern buildings and monuments. The photos and other illustrations, historically-relevant text, and math problems provide a skills approach to learning history. This book should work for mid to upper elementary learners.

Challenger The Final Voyage by Richard Lewis is a must-read for anyone interested in the Challenger tragedy of January 1986. Upon writing this work, Lewis was a long-time writer and editor of scientific publications and had written several books on space exploration including "The Voyages of Columbia" in 1984. Lewis uses this expertise to write a very clear explanation on what happened to Challenger and the faulty decision making process that allowed the tragic event to take place. While the book is very technical, it is written in a way that even a reader such as myself who has no engineering background can follow along and understand. Many illustrations and photos are provided to further clarify very complex matters.

The book starts with an eerie dialogue that went on between the Challenger crew and Houston right to the moment of the explosion. What follows is a look at what went wrong and, most importantly, what was known to be a weakness to the rocket booster structure years before the ill-fated launch. The most frustrating part of the Challenger story is that the cause of the shuttle's demise was not something out of the blue that puzzled the experts, but a concern that was voiced for years before and right up to the launch. That this tragedy could have easily been avoided is the saddest fact of all.

Lewis' thorough account of the investigation following the accident demonstrates a fundamental debility in communication at NASA that, unfortunately, proved fatal again in the Columbia disaster. Lewis' book includes early concerns from Rockwell International (the orbiter's prime contractor) that an icicle may have damaged Challenger's heat shield causing the break-up and another voiced concern about insulation from the external tank hitting the heat absorbent tiles (pp. 30 & 134). The latter caused the Columbia tragedy 17 years later. One remarkable point that came out in an appendix to the Presidential Commission's report on the accident is the astronomical optimism gap between engineers and managers. Concerning the space shuttle program, engineers saw the probability for loss to be 1 in 100, for the managers this probability was 1 in 100,000 (pp. 212 & 215). I was in the sixth grade when the Challenger tragedy occurred. I remember my teacher explaining what had happened on the overhead projector. I had no idea what he was talking about. Perhaps he was planning on showing the lessons of Christa McAuliffe (who was to be the first teacher in space) to the class. Due to the dismissal of so many warning signs, McAuliffe was robbed of this experience (and, most horribly, her life) and millions of students were robbed of the chance to learn about space through her eyes. The Challenger tragedy touched the lives of people far beyond those directly involved and the family members. It can never be forgotten.

My son read this book to me for Health. It was a quick overview of the circulatory system including the heart, blood, lugs, arteries & veins, heart attack, and heart health. Photos accompanied the easy text. I would recommend it for the 2-3rd grade range.

It's really not fair that there are few books about Daddy's and their daughters. I like to read this one to my three year old when her dad (a pilot) is out of town. I also like that Stella wants to be a space explorer and not another princess (bleck). This book is great for little girls with big imaginations and a big love for their Daddy. I especially love her encounter with alien life - blue bugs.

This book is great for Christian families who want to teach scientific concepts to their children in a manner that is consistent with their faith. My son is 4 so some of the scripture passages and scientific theories are a bit lost on him, but the illustrations are enjoyable to him and he is able to "pick " the experiments he wants to do. Most of the experiments involve readily available items and we didn't need to "shop" before starting. A very minor criticism would be the lack of information about age-appropriateness on the cover. We will enjoy this book even more as my son gets older.

This book covers aviation from it's earliest beginnings. There are many books on this subject, but this one stands out.

The book is amazingly concise, and yet it covers all of the important developments in aviation. My experience as a lifelong aviation enthusiast and private pilot makes me a good judge of this material. This book is intended for kids, but it has something even and old "fly boy" like me can enjoy.

The pictures in this book are striking in detail. Along with many other fantastic pictures, this book has the finest picture of a Bleriot XI that I have ever seen. The detail is unparalleled.

This is a book intended for children, but anyone would learn a great deal from it.

Explained in very simple terms and concepts for the younger readers, well illustrated. Only real error is on page 7 where the picture that goes with the F-15 caption is that of a Navy F-14 Tomcat.