Finding age-appropriate books about space for preschool children is a hard task. Many concepts about space are difficult for young kids to understand. However, many parents want to get their children interested in science at a young age.
Preschoolers and Space
Preschoolers are fascinated by the world around them and this leads their attention to outer space. They may ask questions about the moon, stars and other planets. Some preschoolers might even wonder about aliens, spaceships, rockets and astronauts. Kids who are drawn to the universe will enjoy learning facts and hearing fantastical stories about outer space. Finding good books to read to children about space can also help peak their interest in science and space exploration.
Books About Space for Preschool Children
Books about space for preschool children usually fall into two groups: fact-based books and fantasy adventure books.
Informative Space Books
When looking for kids' science nonfiction books for preschoolers, it can be hard to determine what kind of book your child will understand. Begin with a basic book that introduces concepts in a fun way, such as with a child or animal in the story, and see how many of the facts your child comprehends and move onto more difficult books and concepts from there.
Blast Off to the Moon! by Paul Nicholls is a great beginning story for toddlers and preschoolers. Only 12 pages long, it is perfect for preschoolers with a short attention span. Older preschoolers might enjoy hearing one of these informative books:
- There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System by Tish Rabe is great for preschoolers who delight in seeing a favorite character, the Cat in the Hat, while they learn about the planets, sun and moon.
- What's Out There? A Book About Space by Lynn Wilson offers up facts in a clear manner for kids.
- Me and My Place in Space by Joan Sweeney follow a young female astronaut as she explores the cosmos and relates easy to understand facts to the reader.
- Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton follows animals in space and teaches children simple concepts about space exploration.
- I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton is an award-winning story about what it is like to be an astronaut. One of the awards it won was the 1988 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children award.
- On the Moon by Anna Milbourne uses actual NASA photographs to help illustrate the story about visiting the moon.
- Footprints on the Moon by Mark Haddon follows a young boy who sees the moon landing.
Adventure and Fantasy Space Books
Not every book about space for preschool children is based on factual information. Children with active imaginations might enjoy an adventure or fantasy story that speaks to their creative side. Consider reading one of these space adventure books to your preschooler:
- Space Boy by Leo Landry follows a young boy who goes into space for a picnic on the moon.
- Green Wilma, Frog in Space by Tedd Arnold is about a frog who is mistakenly picked up by aliens and taken into outer space.
- Sheep Blast Off! by Nancy E. Shaw follows a herd of sheep who find a rocket in their pasture and decide to take it on a trip into space.
- Regards to the Man in the Moon by Ezra Jack Keats follows a group of children on an imaginary adventure to the moon.
- Hedgie Blasts Off by Jan Brett is about a hedgehog that ends up going into space in a rocket.
Space works its way into many stories for preschoolers. In fact, a great book to read to children for Christmas that combines space and Santa is Santa in Space by Jack Silbert. Follow Santa on a great adventure as he visits another planet.
The best books about space for preschool children are the ones that the preschooler picks out herself. Find a few at the local library or bookstore and help your child choose the one that most intrigues him. If your preschooler continues his or her love of space into elementary school, consider supplementing the space library with a science encyclopedia for kids that includes information on space.
