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If You Like... Astronauts

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Space is a topic of endless fascination for adults and children alike. Whether you are interested in the planets and stars, astronaut training, past missions, or speculation abut the future of space travel --there is something of interest to almost everyone within this wide-ranging topic. The following are some recent books that can answer your questions and just maybe bring up some new ones!

The Astro Chimps: America's First Astronauts
By Dawn Cusick
Independent Pub Group, 2024. Informational. 210 pages.

Did you know that the U.S. space program didn't send humans into space first? Our first astronauts were actually chimpanzees. Tasked with making sure space travel was as safe as possible for humans this top secret initiative is detailed in The Astro Chimps from the perspective of the team of veterinarians, handlers, and psychologists who worked with theses amazing animals. 

The Astronaut's Guide to Leaving the Planet
Written by Terry Virts
Illustrated by Andrés Lozano
New York: Workman Publishing Company, 2023. Informational. 171 pages.

Authored by astronaut Terry Virts, The Astronaut's Guide to Leaving the Planet is chock-full of practical information written in a comprehensive way that will give the astronauts of tomorrow engaging insight into the challenges of pursuing this important career, hisorical background on how we got to where we are today, and where space missions are headed in the future.  

By Kathryn D. Sullivan and Michael J. Rosen
Illustrated by Michael J. Rosen
Somerville, Massachusetts: MIT Kids Press, 2023. Informational. 46 pages.

Co-written by three time shuttle astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan and children's author Michael J. Rosen, How to Spacewalk seeks to answer the more logistically based questions about journeying into space. Using illustrations, photographs, and detailed descriptions from Kathryn's perspective, future astronauts will come away with an introductory knowledge of astronaut training. 

Written by David A. Kelly
Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
New York: Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, 2023. Informational. 

If your reader loves learning about the lives of real-life astronauts they will gobble up Tee Time on the Moon, which is packed with full-page illustration spreads and follows the story of Alan Shepard and his fellow astronauts on the Apollo 14 mission. While their official mission was scientific in nature, Alan had a secret --two golf balls in his sock! How will these golf balls lead to something more than fun? You'll just have to read and find out. 

Packing for Mars for Kids
By Mary Roach
New York: Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company, 2022. Informational. 136 pages. 

In this funny, yet informative, book Mary Roach answers all the silly questions kids might have regarding space travel, like: "How do astronauts go to the bathroom?" and "What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a spacewalk?" Entertaining and older kid-centered, your space enthusiasts will might just make this a repeat read.


 
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