What age are space picture books for?

From about two. Whatever Next! is listed for ages 2 to 5 by its publisher, The Man on the Moon! and Toys in Space have interest age 3+ at BookTrust, and Astro Girl has interest age 4 to 6.

Is there research on why children love space?

We found no study about young children and space books. The page says so and describes only what the four books do.

Are these books fiction or facts?

All four are stories. BookTrust's space list also has non-fiction for older children, such as books about space jobs.

Can our child be the astronaut?

Yes. In your idea you say where your child goes, who they meet on the way and what they bring home.

Theme · Space

Space books for children: four picture books, and two ways to tell a space story

4 checked books · 5 sources

A bear who goes to the moon before bath time, a man who looks after it, toys who save an alien, a girl who wants to be an astronaut: picture books use space in more than one way. Below are four with publisher and age, and what we could and couldn't find on why children love space.

What is known about children and space, and what isn't

First, the gap. We found no study of why young children take to space, and the picture books themselves don't say. BookTrust has a list of space books for ages 2 to 14, mixing stories and non-fiction.¹

What the four books below show is two different uses of space. In three of them it is a place for a story: Baby Bear's trip to the moon, Bob's job on the moon, and an alien who collects toys.²³⁴ In the fourth it is a dream: Astrid loves space and wants to be an astronaut.⁵

A child who loves rockets and a child who wants to be an astronaut may want different books. That is our reading of the four titles, not a research finding.

Four space picture books, checked

Listed from the youngest listener to the oldest. Ages come from the publisher or from BookTrust, named for each book.

Whatever Next!
Jill Murphy · Macmillan Children's Books · Pan Macmillan listing: ages 2 to 5
Before bedtime, Baby Bear wants one last adventure: a quick visit to the moon. His mother points out that he has no rocket, but one turns up under the stairs. He befriends an owl and shares a picnic on the moon. Part of the Bear Family series.
The Man on the Moon!
Simon Bartram · Templar Publishing, 2004 · BookTrust: interest age 3+, reading age 5+
Bob spends a day on the moon, cleaning and tidying, welcoming visitors and performing tricks for tourists. He knows nearly everything about the moon, but something is happening behind his back that he hasn't noticed.
Toys in Space
Mini Grey · Jonathan Cape, 2012 · BookTrust: interest age 3+, reading age 6+
Toys left in a garden overnight get scared in the dark, so Wonderdoll tells them a space adventure about a lonely alien who has lost his toy and collects toys from gardens on Earth. A story within a story.
Astro Girl
Ken Wilson-Max · Otter-Barry Books, 2019 · BookTrust: interest age 4 to 6, reading age 5+
Astrid loves space and she wants to be an astronaut. The one book on the list where space is a dream to work towards.

Space as a place, space as a dream

Two kinds of book. Whatever Next!, The Man on the Moon! and Toys in Space take you somewhere. Astro Girl is about wanting to go.²³⁴⁵ BookTrust's space list adds non-fiction and books about space jobs for older children.¹

What that means when you choose. For a child who wants a good story before sleep, the first three are easier. For a child who says they will be an astronaut, a dream book may give them more. And a child can be the astronaut in a story of their own.

Or a story of their own

If your child should be the hero

Your child builds a rocket from a cardboard box and flies to the moon to bring back something for a friend.
A small alien lands in the garden and your child shows it around the house, the shop on the corner and the park.
Your child spends a day as an astronaut, with a space suit, a very long countdown and a space snack.

Create a book about space

Frequently asked questions

What age are space picture books for?: From about two. Whatever Next! is listed for ages 2 to 5 by its publisher, The Man on the Moon! and Toys in Space have interest age 3+ at BookTrust, and Astro Girl has interest age 4 to 6.
Is there research on why children love space?: We found no study about young children and space books. The page says so and describes only what the four books do.
Are these books fiction or facts?: All four are stories. BookTrust's space list also has non-fiction for older children, such as books about space jobs.
Can our child be the astronaut?: Yes. In your idea you say where your child goes, who they meet on the way and what they bring home.

Sources

1.BookTrust: Books about space (booklist).What it confirms: A list of space books for ages 2 to 14, mixing picture books, stories and non-fiction.
2.Pan Macmillan: Whatever Next! by Jill Murphy.What it confirms: Macmillan Children's Books imprint; ages 2 to 5 in the paperback listing; the plot.
3.BookTrust Bookfinder: The Man on the Moon!What it confirms: Simon Bartram, Templar Publishing, 2004; interest age 3+, reading age 5+; the plot.
4.BookTrust Bookfinder: Toys in Space.What it confirms: Mini Grey, Jonathan Cape, 2012; interest age 3+, reading age 6+; the plot.
5.BookTrust Bookfinder: Astro Girl.What it confirms: Ken Wilson-Max, Otter-Barry Books, 2019; interest age 4 to 6, reading age 5+; Astrid wants to be an astronaut.

Other themes: Animals, Autumn, Dinosaurs, Rabbits, Moles, Elephants, Witches, Unicorns, Fire engines, Dragons, Cats, Football, Dogs, Pirates, Diggers and trucks, Forest and Hometown. Or children's books by age, growing up, topic by topic and all the illustration styles.