Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Space KS1

Hello Star tells an adorable story of the awe and wonder that can come from discovering the wonders of our universe.

Finding out that a hypnotising bright light was, in fact, a dying star, the little girl admiring it from her bedroom window was instantly hooked. Keeping her promise to keep it company until the light was no more, her fascination grew. It led to a lifelong passion for the stars, space and science and a journey to something special.

This lovely story is perfect for encouraging children to reach for their dreams but also provides a platform to inspire girls, in particular, to venture into careers in science and space.

This book by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is one of the books in the best-selling series, Little People, BIG DREAMS. These books explore the lives of people who achieved great things, but focus on when they started out as children with a dream.

Mae Jemison became a scientist and the first black woman to be admitted to the astronaut programme at NASA, later becoming the first African-American female astronaut in space. As a child, Mae dreamed of going in a real space rocket and the story shows how she pursued her dreams and overcame obstacles to reach for the stars.

Young children love stories about explorers and space, and this book based on an inspirational true life story has both.

Little Neil’s dreams took flight when he rode on his first airplane as a child. After studying aeronautical engineering and time spent in the navy, he became a pilot. From there, he was selected to take a trip to where no human had gone before – the moon! Along with his team, Buzz and Mike, he was the captain of the Apollo 11. And Neil took a giant step for humankind as the first person to ever step onto the surface of the moon.This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the legendary astronaut.

Look Up! is an entertaining and vibrant story book about a space-loving girl called Rocket. Rocket is excited about the chance to view an upcoming meteor shower, and she wants everyone she meets to be ready to look up and see it. Frustratingly, her much older brother would rather look down at his phone. With a little sibling compromise and a never-giving-in approach from Rocket, the pair have a wonderful time together and Rocket helps everyone to see how amazing the sky can be when you just look up.

This book is great fun and always a bit hit with Year 1. Many children at this age can relate to the frustration of seeing older family members immersed in their phones, but also know the feeling of being excited by the night’s sky and fascinated by stories about space.

The story includes space facts and references to significant figures in space history like Mae Jamison, who was the first black female astronaut to travel into space. The underlying values of the importance of community and family bonds give a real warmth to this super story book.

What would you need to get you all the way to the moon? Mouse thinks that his moon map is everything he needs and he sets off on a big adventure to get all the way to the moon. But as he travels through the woods and things begin to get a bit dark and scary, Mouse soon realises that he may need more than just a map to find his way.

This is a visually appealing information book with accessible text, making it a great choice of non-fiction for young readers learning about space.

This brilliant addition to the Professor Astro Cat series is aimed at less confident readers. It takes young explorers on a journey through our solar system. We love the bold contemporary illustrations and the way that scientific ideas are introduced in a very child-friendly way. The perfect gift for budding astronauts.

This strikingly illustrated picture book tells the story of Laika, a Russian stray dog who was one of the first animals to be launched into space. Author Owen Davey whimsically reimagines what might have happened to Laika after her rocket disappeared in orbit. This book also offers a gateway into interesting discussions about the role of animals in the Space Race.

This is a humorous story featuring a brave and feisty princess character, very popular with younger children. When King Cupcake is kidnapped by aliens, Princess Spaghetti won’t take no for an answer when the aliens refuse to give him back!

A fun and original early chapter book on the theme of space, that suitably fills the chasm between this topic’s many great picture books and those middle grade novels pitched at older readers. This book charts the inter-planetary correspondence between space traveller Jon and his primary school class back on Earth. As well as letters, his adventures on Pluto are documented in a scrapbook-style collection of leaflets, newspaper articles, homework reports and other paraphernalia collected along the way. Readers will delight in the way in which the story unfolds with skilful humour and creativity, as the imagined space settlement on Pluto is steadily brought to life through the sequence of letters.

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