Astronauts

What do astronauts actually do in space?

They collect Moon rocks, grow plants, read tiny codes and work together to move a laboratory into place. Astronauts: Scientists and Explorers in Space brings that work within reach of young readers.

Meet Mae Jemison, Sally Ride, Harrison Schmitt, Peggy Whitson, Kate Rubins, Jessica Meir, Leland Melvin and Chris Hadfield. NASA mission photographs connect each person with a real task. Short explanations help kids look beyond the spacesuit and discover the questions, tools and teamwork behind a mission.

Each section has a different question to explore. How can a robotic arm extend our reach? What can a rock tell us? How do we keep track of a harvest? Simple activities let readers practise related skills on Earth, including recording a change, comparing objects, checking a sequence and making a plan with a partner.

Inside this 76-page book:

• Eight astronaut profiles connected to specific missions.

• NASA photographs with captions that explain what readers are seeing.

• Clear introductions to words such as microgravity, sample, sequence and harvest.

• Questions, drawing prompts and practical investigations to try with a grown-up.

• A word finder and mission finder for returning to favourite people and ideas.

Created for shared reading with ages 4-8, this space science book gives families, preschool and elementary educators, and homeschool readers a concrete starting point for observation and conversation. Read one mission at a time. Point to a detail, ask a question and try a skill together.