Space is cool, amirite? Who isn’t preoccupied at some point with what’s up there, only accessible by rocket? I have three books with space as an overarching theme, but in different and creative ways. The vastness of the universe is both scientifically and imaginatively intriguing. What’s your favorite thing about the universe?

My Rainy Day Rocket Ship

By Markette Sheppard & Charly Palmer, Published by Simon & Schuster

This book is beautifully poetic and imaginative. The main character has to stay inside on a rainy day and decides to build their own rocket ship instead of playing with their other toys.

The artwork that illustrates the rhyming text is gorgeous and edges on abstract, with bright colors and ebullience on every page.

My Rainy Day Rocket Ship is a beautiful example of imagination and Black Joy. The main character is following their intuition in building the rainy day rocket ship, an excellent example of parents empowering critical thinking skills and letting a young person problem-solve their own creations. This book can be used in so many different units, from poetry to STEM building, or even as an example of painting styles and inspiration for an art project. I read this for a read aloud last week, and it was a huge hit!

Margot and the Moon Landing

By A.C. Fitzpatrick & Erika Medina, Published by Annick Press

Margot loves space, and talks about what she learns constantly. The problem is that nobody else seems interested to learn that astronauts eat food out of tubes or that scientists first sent fruit flies to space!

Before going to sleep one night, Margot wishes that she never had to talk about anything other than space. When she wakes up, Margot’s wish seems to have come true…much to her dismay.

Like My Rainy Day Rocket Ship, Margot and the Moon Landing is only partially about space. Margot gets frustrated when she can’t communicate, and the story is resolved when she finds an outlet that her mother finally understands. So many of us (especially kids) hyper focus on a subject or hobby. Reading a situation and understanding when the appropriate time might be to share facts (maybe nooooot during math class or while swimming) is a tricky skill for kids to learn. This book can be an aid in discussing why it might be hard to talk about feelings of frustration, and how to find their voice. I also love the illustrations by Erika Medina!

Science and Me: Inspired by the discoveries of Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine

By Ali Winter & Mickaël El Fathi, Published by Lantana Publishing and sent by Publisher Spotlight

This is a picture book that is designed for older readers, and contains detailed information about world-changing scientific discoveries. It also encourages the reader to define what science means to them, and to take this flexible definition to change and experiment within different STEM fields.

The illustrations in Science and Me are gorgeous and reminiscent of collage. The textures used for the different backgrounds and clothing in the book are colorful and creative, almost quilt-like on some pages.

The book introduces readers to some Nobel Prize recipients, and how they came to be notable scientists. I think it’s a really unique way to tie together these historical figures, and the illustrations are almost abstract in places (which I love). The child in the space suit shown on the cover joins each of the scientists on the pages as well, another great touch. I can definitely see someone that is resistant to non-fiction or STEM biographies being drawn into this book because of the creative way the topic has been introduced to the reader.

These books were all sent by the publishers noted, and all opinions and decisions to review are my own.

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