The Ultimate Book of Space
This information-packed and cleverly designed illustrated book on space and space exploration will please inquisitive children of many ages and abilities. The format, using small units of information-presented in interesting ways, allows children to explore the book alone or with the help of a friendly adult co-reader.
Both will enjoy the interactive experience made possible by creative use of paper engineering from simple, familiar lift-the-flap pieces to full 3D spreads depicting a rocket launch or the Earth as seen from space. By manipulating the flaps and slides and pull-tabs, children will reveal extra nuggets of information. For instance, did you know that astronauts wear a kind of nappy on long spacewalks, and animals that have been passengers on rockets include a dog, a cat, a monkey and even a jellyfish?
The illustrations are clear and colourful enough for younger children and also detailed enough to satisfy older children. There is a welcome gender-balanced and racially diverse representation of both astronauts and children in the book. I was also happy to see credit given to the expertise of an astronaut, an engineer, a scientific mediator and an educational mediator, who all contributed to the making of this book, helping to make it a reliable source of up-to-date information on space and space exploration for children.
