Top books for budding space explorers

My son loves all things space and he's always asking me lots of questions, that despite working with children's books for 15 years, I can sometimes struggle to answer. I think space is so appealing to children because it's so vast, seems mysterious and if they look up at the night sky, they can see stars, constellations and even Jupiter.

With this in mind, I've read a fair few space and solar system books in the past year. I wanted to share with you what's top at Miles Kelly and why.

Convertible Spaceship for 3+ years

The Convertible range is becoming pretty well-known now so perhaps it doesn't need an explanation, but here it is for new Miles Kelly followers. Convertible Spaceship is a 3-in-1 book. In the first instance, you can simply read the large board book with your child and enjoy the brightly illustrated tale of a space mission. Next, fold out Convertible Spaceship into a long playmat for your child to use their own toys on, following the route and interacting with the characters. Finally, Convertible Spaceship quickly folds up into a sit-inside rocket for your child to pretend to be an astronaut. Warning: this is often the favourite way to play for most kids when it comes to Convertibles!

Curious Questions about the Solar System for 5+ years

The Curious range of books are some of my favourite at Miles Kelly because the facts are presented in such an engaging way (there is nothing worse than reading a dull children's book over and over). In Curious Q&A about the Solar System, your child can pour over the Q&A pages, looking at the most interesting space facts, all with quirky illustrations involving a diverse range of children (to help your child relate and connect to the content). Plus there are special pages where the book explores the biggest numbers in the Universe or the weirdest facts about space mission. One really fun page uses the game 'Would you rather?' to inject some fun into learning about the planets and other space objects. I can't fault these books really. Most excellent! And if you end up loving Curious Q&A about the Solar System, you may want to check out Curious Q&A about Astronauts, Curious Q&A about Space Machines, and Curious Q&A about The Moon.

First Space Book for 5+ years

Our young reference books are really lovely and First Space Book is no exception. The characterful illustrations and colourful pages really help to elevate the facts of what can be quite a difficult subject to explain to young children. The text in First Space Book is presented in short paragraphs and the illustrations are happy, clear and informative. Plus on First Space Book's Our Solar System poster, the planets have faces and the Sun is wearing sunglasses – all elements of fun deliberately added engage a young child. Exploring the illustrations can lead your child to asking questions and wanting to know more. It's a great tool to use to your advantage!  

Wild About Space for 7+ years

Wild About Space is a book for older children where the learning is getting a little more in-depth. Wild About Space covers the Universe, the solar system and space objects in great detail, with short fact paragraphs accompanied by photography, illustrations and diagrams. The text has been written and checked by experts, and makes sure to put across the information in a clear way for this age group. Throughout there are also quizzes, fun fact panels and activities to extend learning and understanding.

100 Facts Exploring Space for 7+ years

Our 100 Facts range is vast and is perfect for supporting school projects, homework or just feeding your child's curiosity. The approach to these books is a little more traditional, with numbered facts to aid progression and give a feeling of achievement (I hear a lot, Mum, I've got to page 34 or Fact 25 etc). 100 Facts Exploring Space is a hit in our house as we all find it really interesting to discover how exactly we know so much about space – which missions and technologies and what they found. It really blows your mind! Each page is packed with pictures, even with photos from NASA, and clear explanations and timelines. We've also published 100 Facts Astronomy, 100 Facts Solar System, 100 Facts Space, 100 Facts Space Travel, and 100 Facts Stars & Galaxies.