Children's books and activities
Stars, Planets and the Night Sky
Do you know any kids who are fascinated by the constellations, the phases of the Moon, or what it's like to be an astronaut? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about stars, constellations, planets, and the night sky.
Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres [6] (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic, such as stars, planets, and space exploration. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge [7], vocabulary [8], and comprehension skills.
You might also want to explore our Space Rangers summer science program [9], with a free toolkit ready to print and use!
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Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Print List
A Big Mooncake for Little Star
By: Grace Lin
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Little Star loves the delicious Mooncake that she bakes with her mama. But she's not supposed to...
Purchase on Bookshop [25]
Purchase on Amazon [26]
A is for Astronaut: Exploring Space from A to Z
By: Traci N. Todd
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The alphabet is the device used to pique curiosity about astronomy, space travel and things...
Purchase on Amazon [27]
A Long Way Away: A Two-Way Story
By: Frank Viva
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase on Amazon [28]
Blackout
By: John Rocco
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "...
Purchase on Bookshop [29]
Purchase on Amazon [30]
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
By: Oliver Jeffers
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Oliver Jeffers offers a rare personal look inside his own hopes and wishes for his child — and...
Purchase on Bookshop [31]
Purchase on Amazon [32]
I Want to Be an Astronaut
By: Byron Barton
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [33]
Purchase on Amazon [34]
Look Inside Space
By: Rob Lloyd Jones
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Blast off into space with this fascinating flip book. Find out how the moon was made, why stars...
Purchase on Amazon [35]
Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing
By: Dean Robbins
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Margaret loved to solve all kinds of problems coming up with original ideas. She wondered why...
Purchase on Bookshop [36]
Purchase on Amazon [37]
Mousetronaut
By: Mark Kelly
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [38]
Purchase on Amazon [39]
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Space
By: Catherine D. Hughes
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
These colorful pages will introduce young children to the wonders of space. The book will...
Purchase on Bookshop [40]
Purchase on Amazon [41]
Oh No, Astro!
By: Matt Roeser
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Astro is a cranky asteroid who just wants everyone to respect his personal boundaries. But when...
Purchase on Bookshop [42]
Purchase on Amazon [43]
Our Stars
By: Anne Rockwell
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [44]
Purchase on Amazon [45]
Rocket to the Moon
By: Lerryn Korda
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Lester explains the basics about the moon and space travel to Little Nye before they take off on...
Purchase on Amazon [46]
Stars
By: Mary Lyn Ray
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [47]
Purchase on Amazon [48]
Thanking the Moon
By: Grace Lin
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [49]
Purchase on Amazon [50]
The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto
By: Elizabeth Rusch
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Why the once-planet Pluto was demoted to a lesser planetary status is explained in readable text...
Purchase on Bookshop [51]
Purchase on Amazon [52]
What's Out There? A Book About Space
By: Lynn Wilson
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [53]
Purchase on Amazon [54]
Zathura
By: Chris Van Allsburg
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Purchase on Bookshop [55]
Purchase on Amazon [56]
Zelda's Big Adventure
By: Marie Alafaci
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Zelda has big plans—she wants to be the first chicken in space. She leaves nothing to chance as...
Purchase on Bookshop [57]
Purchase on Amazon [58]
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Print List
The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean
By: Dean Robbins
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Alan Bean was not the first but the fourth man to walk on the moon. However, he was the first...
Purchase on Bookshop [59]
Purchase on Amazon [60]
100 Things to Know About Spac
By: Howard Hughes
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
This is a fun and informative book packed with 100 fascinating things to know about space, from...
Purchase on Amazon [62]
A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon
By: Suzanne Slade
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The inspiring true story of mathematician Katherine Johnson--made famous by the award-winning...
Purchase on Bookshop [63]
Purchase on Amazon [64]
A Full Moon Is Rising
By: Marilyn Singer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Come along on a whirlwind tour of the world to discover an amazing collection of full moon...
Purchase on Amazon [65]
A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars
By: Seth Fishman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Earth is surrounded by stars of which the sun is only one. Earth is blue “because it is covered...
Purchase on Bookshop [66]
Purchase on Amazon [67]
A Moon of My Own
By: Jennifer Rustigi
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
An imaginative young girl travels the world with her faithful companion, the moon, in an...
Purchase on Bookshop [68]
Purchase on Amazon [69]
Apollo 13 (Totally True Adventures)
By: Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise blasted off for the Moon on April 11, 1970....
Purchase on Bookshop [70]
Purchase on Amazon [71]
Astronaut Academy
By: Steve Martin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
This is a spaceflight activity book like no other! Through a series of fun and challenging tasks...
Purchase on Amazon [72]
Astronaut Handbook
By: Meghan McCarthy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Do you have what it takes to be an astronaut? Take a ride on the “Vomit Comet” and learn how it...
Purchase on Bookshop [73]
Purchase on Amazon [74]
Astronaut in Training
By: Catherine Ard
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Learn how to become an astronaut in this book packed with bite-size information and fun facts...
Purchase on Bookshop [75]
Purchase on Amazon [76]
Bright Sky, Starry City
By: Uma Krishnaswami
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Phoebe helps her dad set up telescopes on the sidewalk outside his store. It’s a special night...
Purchase on Bookshop [77]
Purchase on Amazon [78]
Caroline’s Comets: A True Story
By: Emily Arnold McCully
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Caroline Herchel, born in 1750, enjoyed looking at the night sky with her father. She would...
Purchase on Bookshop [79]
Purchase on Amazon [80]
CatStronauts: Mission Moon
By: Drew Brockington
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
When the world is thrust into darkness due to a global energy shortage, the Worlds Best...
Purchase on Bookshop [81]
Purchase on Amazon [82]
City Moon
By: Rachael Cole
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
A nighttime story that follows a little boy and his Mama as they walk around their neighborhood...
Purchase on Bookshop [83]
Purchase on Amazon [84]
Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings
By: Douglas Florian
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Poetry
Short poems in various forms will inform and engage as they swirl across the pages of this...
Purchase on Bookshop [85]
Purchase on Amazon [86]
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13
By: Halaine Becker
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
You've likely heard of the historic Apollo 13 moon landing. But do you know about the...
Purchase on Bookshop [88]
Purchase on Amazon [89]
Coyote Places the Stars
By: Harriet Peck-Taylor
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
One evening, crafty Coyote climbs the moon to discover the secrets of the heavens. Instead, he...
Purchase on Bookshop [90]
Purchase on Amazon [91]
Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon
By: Suzanne Slade
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Spare, poetic text and luminous, realistic illustrations chronicle the Apollo missions....
Purchase on Bookshop [92]
Purchase on Amazon [93]
Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars
By: Gary Golio
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The story of Blind Willie Johnson — the legendary Texas musician whose song "Dark Was the Night...
Purchase on Bookshop [95]
Purchase on Amazon [96]
Destination: Mars
By: Seymour Simon
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon explores the Red Planet through fascinating facts and...
Purchase on Bookshop [97]
Purchase on Amazon [98]
Eight Days Gone
By: Linda McReynolds
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Snappy verse and retro art brings readers along for Apollo 11's historic, eight-day mission to...
Purchase on Bookshop [99]
Purchase on Amazon [100]
Faces of the Moon
By: Bob Crelin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [101]
Purchase on Amazon [102]
Go for the Moon: A Rocket, a Boy, and the First Moon Landing
By: Chris Gall
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A boy looking out his bedroom window into the night sky begins, “The moon is out tonight. In the...
Purchase on Bookshop [103]
Purchase on Amazon [104]
Her Seven Brothers
By: Paul Goble
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A retelling of the Cheyenne legend about the creation of the Big Dipper. A young Indian girl who...
Purchase on Bookshop [105]
Purchase on Amazon [106]
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
By: Margot Lee Shetterly, Winifred Conklin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The true story of four African American women whose talent and tenacity led to careers at NASA...
Purchase on Bookshop [107]
Purchase on Amazon [108]
How the Stars Fell into the Sky
By: Jerrie Oughton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Richly hued illustrations are used to show how First Woman tried to guide humans by providing...
Purchase on Bookshop [109]
Purchase on Amazon [110]
I, Galileo
By: Bonnie Christensen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The voice of an old, blind Galileo Galilei is used to look back on a life that started in Pisa...
Purchase on Amazon [111]
If You Decide To Go To The Moon
By: Faith McNulty
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
If you decide to go to the moon read this book first. It will tell you how to get there and what...
Purchase on Bookshop [112]
Purchase on Amazon [113]
If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon
By: Joyce Lapin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
What could be more fun than going to a birthday party by rocket? Celebrating your birthday on...
Purchase on Bookshop [114]
Purchase on Amazon [115]
Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet
By: Curtis Manley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Do you wonder if humans are the only beings who wonder if they are alone in the universe? Our...
Purchase on Bookshop [116]
Purchase on Amazon [117]
Life on Mars
By: Jon Agee
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
A young astronaut is absolutely sure there is life to be found on Mars. He sets off on a...
Purchase on Bookshop [118]
Purchase on Amazon [119]
Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer
By: Robert Burleigh
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [120]
Purchase on Amazon [121]
Looking Up!: The Science of Stargazing
By: Joe Rao
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Become an expert on the stars in the sky with this fact-tastic nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read...
Purchase on Bookshop [122]
Purchase on Amazon [123]
Mae Among the Stars
By: Roda Ahmed
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A beautiful picture book for sharing, inspired by the life of the first African American woman...
Purchase on Bookshop [124]
Purchase on Amazon [125]
Mae Jemison
By: Luke Collins
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
An early biography of the first African-American female astronaut. This nonfiction book explores...
Purchase on Amazon [126]
Maria's Comet
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
This poetic picture book imagines the childhood of Maria Mitchell, America's first woman...
Purchase on Amazon [127]
Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet
By: Elizabeth Rusch
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Mexican-American Mario Molina is a modern-day hero who helped solve the ozone crisis of the...
Purchase on Bookshop [128]
Purchase on Amazon [129]
Max Goes to Jupiter: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog
By: Jeffrey Bennett
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Set in the future, Max the Dog’s friend Tori is all grown up and is the chief scientist of the...
Purchase on Amazon [130]
Max Goes to the Space Station: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog
By: Jeffery Bennett
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Follow Max on his trip to the International Space Station where he shares in the adventures of...
Purchase on Bookshop [131]
Purchase on Amazon [132]
Me and My Place in Space
By: Joan Sweeney
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
With Earth as a starting point, a young astronaut leads readers on a tour past each planet and...
Purchase on Bookshop [133]
Purchase on Amazon [134]
Miss Tracy Is Spacey!
By: Dan Gutman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Miss Universe is coming to Ella Mentry School! Her real name is Miss Tracy, and she's a...
Purchase on Bookshop [135]
Purchase on Amazon [136]
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
By: Brian Floca
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Relive the journey of the Apollo 11 where the first people stepped on the moon's surface...
Purchase on Amazon [137]
Music for Mr. Moon
By: Erin Stead
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Harriet just wants to play her cello alone. But when she accidentally knocks the lonely moon...
Purchase on Bookshop [138]
Purchase on Amazon [139]
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein
By: Jennifer Berne
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [140]
Purchase on Amazon [141]
One Giant Leap
By: Robert Burleigh
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Only July 29, 1969, as Americans sat glued to their televisions and radios, Neil Armstrong and...
Purchase on Bookshop [142]
Purchase on Amazon [143]
Our Solar System
By: Seymour Simon
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
With beautiful full-color photographs and spacecraft images, young readers will learn all about...
Purchase on Bookshop [144]
Purchase on Amazon [145]
Out of This World: Poems and Facts About Space
By: Amy Sklansky
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase on Amazon [146]
Owl Moon
By: Jane Yolen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling. The trees stand still as statues...
Purchase on Bookshop [147]
Purchase on Amazon [148]
Pluto Is Peeved: An Ex-Planet Searches for Answers
By: Jacqueline Jules
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A comic-book-style picture book, takes you on a scientific journey side-by-side with Pluto, who...
Purchase on Amazon [149]
Pluto's Secret: An Icy World's Tale of Discovery
By: Margaret Weitekamp
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Purchase on Bookshop [150]
Purchase on Amazon [151]
Science Comics: Solar System: Our Place in Space
By: Rosemary Moscoe
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Get up close and personal with Earth's nearest neighbors ― Venus with its acid rainstorms,...
Purchase on Bookshop [152]
Purchase on Amazon [153]
Stargazers
By: Gail Gibbons
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [154]
Purchase on Amazon [155]
Starry Sky
By: Kate Hayden , Deborah Lock
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [156]
Purchase on Amazon [157]
Stars
By: Seymour Simon
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Do aliens come from the stars? What is that twinkling out there? How long does it take for a...
Purchase on Amazon [158]
The Darkest Dark
By: Chris Hadfiled
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he's a brave astronaut, exploring the universe....
Purchase on Bookshop [159]
Purchase on Amazon [160]
The Lizard and the Sun / La Lagartija y el Sol
By: Alma Flor Ada
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
A long, long time ago in ancient Mexico, the sun disappeared. Everything was dark, and the...
Purchase on Bookshop [161]
Purchase on Amazon [162]
The Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale
By: Joseph Bruchac, Gayle Ross
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Have you ever wondered how the Milky Way came to be? According to a Cherokee legend, it started...
Purchase on Amazon [163]
The Moon Book
By: Gail Gibbons
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Purchase on Amazon [164]
The Planets
By: Gail Gibbons
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
From the burning surface of Venus to the freezing darkness of Neptune, Gail Gibbons takes...
Purchase on Bookshop [165]
Purchase on Amazon [166]
The Planets in Our Solar System
By: Franklyn Branley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
An exploration of space written by children's nonfiction veteran and former chairman of the...
Purchase on Bookshop [167]
Purchase on Amazon [168]
The Sky Is Full of Stars
By: Franklyn Branley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Young stargazers learn about different star colors and brightness, how to locate major...
Purchase on Bookshop [169]
Purchase on Amazon [170]
The Star People: A Lakota Story
By: S. D. Nelson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
While exploring the land around their village, Sister Girl and Young Wolf stray too far. After...
Purchase on Amazon [171]
Purchase Kindle version [172]
The Stuff of Stars
By: Marion Dane Bauer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
In a poetic text, the author takes readers from the trillionth of a second when our universe was...
Purchase on Bookshop [173]
Purchase on Amazon [174]
The Stunning Science of Everything: Science with the Squishy Bits Left In
By: Nick Arnold, Tony De Saulles
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Sophisticated young scientists will enjoy dipping in and out of this funny but edifying...
Purchase on Amazon [175]
There Was an Old Martian Who Swallowed the Moon
By: Jennifer Ward
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Join the old Martian as he swallows the moon, a comet, a rover, and more! Then he blasts off in...
Purchase on Bookshop [176]
Purchase on Amazon [177]
Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moon
By: Joseph Bruchac
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
In Native American legend, the thirteen scales on Old Turtle's back hold the key to the thirteen...
Purchase on Bookshop [178]
Purchase on Amazon [179]
To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space
By: Dave Williams
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
f all the questions astronauts are asked by kids, the most frequent one is “How do you go to the...
Purchase on Bookshop [180]
Purchase on Amazon [181]
What Miss Mitchell Saw
By: Hayley Barrett
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Discover the amazing true story of Maria Mitchell, America’s first professional female...
Purchase on Bookshop [182]
Purchase on Amazon [183]
What the Moon is Like
By: Franklyn Branley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
For thousands of years people looked up at the moon and wondered about it. Now we know...
Purchase on Bookshop [184]
Purchase on Amazon [185]
When the Moon Is Full
By: Mary Azarian
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A lunar guide describes the folkloric names of twelve moons according to Native American...
Purchase on Amazon [186]
You Are the First Kid on Mars
By: Patrick O'Brien
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A unique look at your first trip to Mars. Using the most up-to-date designs and theories of what...
Purchase on Bookshop [187]
Purchase on Amazon [188]
You Can't Ride a Bicycle to the Moon
By: Harriet Ziefert
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
What should I eat in space today? Something that won't float away! Food that sticks onto a spoon...
Purchase on Amazon [189]
Your Place in the Universe
By: Jason Chin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Starting small and familiar, children look into a telescope and the amazing comparisons begin....
Purchase on Bookshop [190]
Purchase on Amazon [191]
Zoo in the Sky
By: Jacqueline Mitton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Take an illuminating ride through the starry night sky with this book from National Geographic....
Purchase on Bookshop [192]
Purchase on Amazon [193]
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Print List
A User's Guide to the Universe: Surviving the Perils of Black Holes, Time Paradoxes, and Quantum Uncertainty
By: Dave Goldberg
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Answers to science's most enduring questions from "Can I break the light-speed barrier like on...
Purchase on Bookshop [194]
Purchase on Amazon [195]
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
By: Tanya Lee Stone
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
They had the right stuff. They defied the prejudices of the time. And they blazed a trail for...
Purchase on Bookshop [196]
Purchase on Amazon [197]
Chasing Space
By: Leland Melvin
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
In this inspiring memoir, adapted from the simultaneous version for adults, young readers will...
Purchase on Bookshop [198]
Purchase on Amazon [199]
Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
By: Suzanne Slade
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Powerful free verse and vivid mixed-media illustrations tell the true story of the American...
Purchase on Bookshop [200]
Purchase on Amazon [201]
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover
By: Markus Motum
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
On August 6, 2012, the rover Curiosity touched down on the rocky surface of Mars — and now she’s...
Purchase on Bookshop [202]
Purchase on Amazon [203]
Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rover and Beyond
By: Martin Jenkins
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
From the ancient astronomers to the latest ideas about building a space elevator to make...
Purchase on Bookshop [204]
Purchase on Amazon [205]
Find the Constellations
By: H.A. Rey
Age Level: 9-12 years old
This classic book includes star charts, a guide to the constellations, and details about seasons...
Purchase on Amazon [206]
Galileo's Universe
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Learn about the life of Galileo, the brilliant Italian Renaissance astronomer, physicist, and...
Purchase on Amazon [207]
Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition
By: Margot Lee Shetterly
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
This edition of Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed book is perfect for young readers. It is the...
Purchase on Bookshop [208]
Purchase on Amazon [209]
How to be a Space Explorer: Your Out-of-this-World Adventure
By: Lonely Planet
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Everything young explorers need to know to travel in space, covering what life in zero gravity...
Purchase on Amazon [210]
Laika
By: Nick Abadzis
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Laika was the abandoned puppy destined to become Earth's first space traveler. This is her...
Purchase on Bookshop [211]
Purchase on Amazon [212]
Lost in Outer Space: The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13
By: Tod Olson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
From "Houston, we've had a problem" to the final tense moments at Mission Control, Lost in Outer...
Purchase on Bookshop [213]
Purchase on Amazon [214]
Purchase audio version [215]
Purchase Kindle version [216]
Older Than Dirt: A Wild but True History of Earth
By: Don Brown, Michael Perfit
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Almost 14.5 billion years ago, it all started with a BIG BANG and what began as a cloud of gas,...
Purchase on Bookshop [217]
Purchase on Amazon [218]
Our Moon: New Discoveries About Earth’s Closest Companion
By: Elaine Scott
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
People have always been fascinated by the moon. Since Galileo, humans have walked on the moon,...
Purchase on Bookshop [219]
Purchase on Amazon [220]
Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist
By: Sylvia Acevedo
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The inspiring memoir for young readers about a Latina rocket scientist whose early life was...
Purchase on Bookshop [221]
Purchase on Amazon [222]
Punk Science: Intergalactic Supermassive Space Book
By: Punk Science
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Each chapter in this fun and informative book is packed with puzzles, games, facts, and...
Purchase on Bookshop [223]
Purchase on Amazon [224]
Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space
By: Tammy O'Shaughnessy
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Years before millions of Americans tuned in to watch her historic space flight aboard the...
Purchase on Bookshop [225]
Purchase on Amazon [226]
Seven Wonders of the Solar System
By: David A. Aguilar
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Ready for a trip to our close neighbor Mars, home to the largest volcano in the solar system? Or...
Purchase on Bookshop [227]
Purchase on Amazon [228]
Purchase Kindle version [229]
Space a Children's Encyclopedia
By: DK Publishing
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Everything you ever wanted to know about space. Take your child on a journey to space and beyond...
Purchase on Amazon [230]
The Day the Universe Exploded My Head
By: Allan Wolf
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Hang on tight for a raucous bounce through the solar system and back — propelled by funny,...
Purchase on Bookshop [231]
Purchase on Amazon [232]
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
By: Kathryn Lasky
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
An illustrated biography of the Greek philosopher and scientist Eratosthenes, who compiled the...
Purchase on Bookshop [233]
Purchase on Amazon [234]
The Mighty Mars Rovers
By: Elizabeth Rusch
Age Level: 9-12 years old
This book tells the greatest space robot adventure of all time through the eyes — and heart — of...
Purchase on Bookshop [235]
Purchase on Amazon [236]
The Moon
By: Hannah Pang
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
In this striking volume, readers will encounter the moon in both fact and fiction. Moon myths...
Purchase on Bookshop [237]
Purchase on Amazon [238]
The Origin of the Milky Way and Other Living Stories of the Cherokee
By: Barbara Duncan
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
Cherokee people have lived in the Great Smoky Mountains for thousands of years telling stories...
Purchase on Bookshop [239]
Purchase on Amazon [240]
Purchase audio version [241]
Purchase Kindle version [242]
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet
By: Eleanor Cameron
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
Don't miss the adventures of Chuck and David, two boys who travel to the alien planet Basidium...
Purchase on Bookshop [243]
Purchase on Amazon [244]
To Space and Back
By: Sally Ride
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Sally Ride, the first America woman to journey into space, gives young readers an unprecedented...
Purchase on Bookshop [245]
Purchase on Amazon [246]
We Dream of Space
By: Erin Entrada Kelly
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In...
Purchase on Bookshop [247]
Purchase on Amazon [248]
Purchase Kindle version [249]
Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet
By: Buzz Aldrin
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Space is still the final frontier and Mars continues to make news and attract generations of...
Purchase on Bookshop [250]
Purchase on Amazon [251]
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
By: Grace Lin
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase on Bookshop [252]
Purchase on Amazon [253]
Who Was Neil Armstrong?
By: Roberta Edwards
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon and, to an audience of over 450 million...
Purchase on Bookshop [254]
Purchase on Amazon [255]
Hands-on Activities
Build on what you're learning together through books with these family-friendly activities, experiments, and crafts.
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Astronaut Glove Box [256]
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Cardboard Space Rocket [257]
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Comet on a Stick [258]
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Constellation Cards [259]
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Constellation Light Show [260]
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Design a Constellation [261]
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Design a Mission Patch [262]
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DIY Telescope [263]
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Exploring Gravity [264]
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Finding the North Star [265]
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How High Could You Jump on the Moon? [266]
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If I Was A Constellation [267]
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Jetpack [268]
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Lunar Craters [269]
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Make an Alien Spaceship [270]
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Mars Lander [271]
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Mars Sand (Why Mars Is Red) [272]
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Mars Volcano [273]
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Moon Journal [274]
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Moon Phases Slider [275]
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Moving and Working in Space [276]
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Nebula Jar [277]
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Orbiting the Sun [278]
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Oreo Cookie Phases of the Moon [279]
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Phases of the Moon Demonstration [280]
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Phases of the Moon Flip Book [281]
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Sidewalk Chalk Constellations [282]
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Solar System of Kids [283]
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Solar System Scale Model (Distance) [284]
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Solar System Scale Model (Size) [285]
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Solar System Stat Cards [286]
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Space Jell-O [287]
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Spinning Space Orrery [288]
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Stargazing with a Pocket Star Guide [289]
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Stone Sundial [290]
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Summer Star Chart [291]
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Twinkle, Twinkle Mobile [292]
Start with a Book -
Why Do Stars Twinkle? [293]
Summer Writing
Give kids a chance to flex their writing muscles all summer long. Try one of these prompts, selected from our writing contest archives and other literacy organizations.
Great Websites for Kids
Dive deeper into topics of interest with these media-rich and interactive sites.
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Astronomy: Our Place in Space [301]
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Be a Martian: Help Map the Red Planet [302]
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Brain Pop: Space [303]
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Brain Pop: The Universe [304]
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Crash Course Kids: What is a constellation? [305]
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DK Find Out: Constellations [306]
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Earth’s Moon: Interactive Map of the Moon (NASA) [307]
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Extreme Planet Makeover [308]
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Fly to Mars [309]
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Gizmos: Earth, Moon and Sun [310]
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Gizmos: The Solar System [311]
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How To Find The Summer Constellations (360° Video) [312]
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How to Use a Star Chart [313]
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Jupiter’s Moons [314]
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Kids Astronomy [315]
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Let's Go to Mars [316]
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Mars 101 [317]
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Moon 101 [318]
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NASA Kids Club [319]
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NASA Solar System Exploration [320]
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NASA Space Place [321]
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National Air and Space Museum [322]
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National Geographic Kids [323]
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NOVA: Space and Flight [324]
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Sea and Sky [325]
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Sizing Up the Universe [326]
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Space [303]
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Story Time from Space [327]
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Telescopes from the Ground Up [328]
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The Mars Rovers [329]
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The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids [330]
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What's in Space? [331]
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What's Up? [332]
Great Podcasts for Kids
Listen and learn with these podcasts especially for kids. These podcasts are free and easy to listen to from any device via Apple Podcasts [333], Google Podcasts [334], or Stitcher [335] — or from Listen Notes [336], a podcast search engine.
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Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! An Outer Space Supernova [337]
Wow in the World (NPR) -
Full Moon Rising [338]
Wow in the World (NPR)
-
Fun Kids Science Weekly [339]
Fun Kids
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How to Become an Astronaut [340]
Tumble Science
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Mary Farfisa's Outer Space Radio Theater [341]
Jim Cheff
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Mini-Moon! [342]
Wow in the World (NPR)
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My Asteroid Is Blowing Up [343]
Wow in the World (NPR)
-
Out of This World [344]
Wow in the World (NPR)
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Pluto and the Planetary Pandemonium [345]
Tumble Science Podcast
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The Constellations of the Sky [346]
Flyest Fables
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The Stars of Space [347]
Wow in the World (NPR)
-
Tumble Science Podcast [348]
Educational Apps
Educational apps recommended by Common Sense Media and other trusted reviewers.
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Be A Martian (NASA) [349]
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Bean Bag Kids Apollo 11 [350]
$
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Britannica Kids: Solar System [351]
$
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DIY Sun Science [352]
-
Expeditions [353]
-
Globe Observer [354]
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Gravity Launch [355]
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Journey to the Exoplanets [356]
$
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Mars [357]
-
Mathmateer [358]
$
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Mobile Observatory [359]
$
-
NASA App [360]
-
Redshift: Astronomy [361]
$
-
Simple Rockets [362]
$
-
Sky Map [363]
-
Sky Safari [364]
-
SkyView: Explore the Universe [365]
$
-
Solar System Explorer [366]
-
Solar System for iPad [367]
$
-
Space by Tinybop [368]
$
-
Space Science Investigations: Plant Growth [369]
-
Star Chart [370]
$
-
Star Walk [371]
$
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The Night Sky [372]
$
-
This Is My Spacecraft: Rocket Science for Kids [373]
$
More Themed Resources
Growing Readers Tip Sheets
Simple activities for parents and kids to do together to build reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Read online or print the PDF.
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Capturing and Sharing Images [374]
Download PDF: English [375] | Spanish [376] -
Journals and Field Notes [374]
Download PDF: English [375] | Spanish [376] -
Outdoor Explorations [377]
Download PDF: English [378] | Spanish [379] -
Patterns and Categorizing [380]
Download PDF: English [381] | Spanish [382] -
Science vs. Science Fiction [383]
Download PDF: English [384] | Spanish [385] -
Think Like an Inventor! [386]
Download PDF: English [387] | Spanish [388]
Our Summer Blog
-
A Taste of Nature [396]
-
Catching Stars [398]
Washington DC for Kids
Places
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David M. Brown Planetarium [399] $
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Einstein Planetarium [400] $
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Hylton Planetarium [401] $