With NASA’s Mars rover landing in just days, our preschooler is voraciously reading books about space. These are a few of our favorites!
Perseverance, the Mars rover, will land on February 18th at about 12:30pm PST. You can find out more about the landing, including how to watch, on the NASA’s Mars website.
I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through the links below. As always, check your local library first!
Animals in the Sky (Amazon and Bookshop) written and illustrated by Sara Gillingham is a beautifully simple book that our family keeps coming back to. It’s a great way to show your kiddos the constellations, especially if you live in a city and can’t always see them in real life. You’ll find yourself singing along the familiar cadence, “What animal in the sky am I?”
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover (Amazon and Bookshop) by Markus Motum is a total visual throwback to those classic NASA posters from the golden days of space. This is a surprisingly dense little book! It was a wonderful way to introduce our preschooler to Curiosity, the first Mars rover, and to the idea that we can actually land on and explore other planets. Bonus points for the surprise sideways pages, always a favorite!
Mae Among the Stars (Amazon and Bookshop) by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington. This gorgeously illustrated picture book tells the story of a young Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space. An inspiring book for little minds thinking about all the things they can do, and an important book for Black History Month and all months.
Mission To Space (Amazon and Bookshop) by Dr. John Herrington is an awesome book of space-related photography. We loved how the feather floated at the space station! It is also an awesome book about Dr. Harrington’s Chickasaw heritage, including words and pronunciations at the end of the book.
Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story (Amazon and Bookshop) by Mark Kelly, illustrated by C. F. Payne. A great read for the little readers who love animals and cheer for the underdog! Little Meteor the mouse wasn’t the biggest or the strongest, but he worked hard enough to be chosen for the mission. Good thing too, because Meteor’s problem solving saves the day!
Your Place in the Universe (Amazon and Bookshop) by Jason ChIn is an instant classic. Starting with a group of kids, we get some perspective on just how big we are. Bigger than a giraffe? The Empire State Building? But did you know, the biggest building on earth is nothing compared to what’s out there in space! And then my kiddo starts asking, how “big” is it to the moon? If you cherish those kinds of conversations, you’ll love this book.
Ready for your next reading adventure? See if you can check off all 100 Children’s Books to Read in 2021!
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash