Title: Astronaut Handbook
Author: Meghan McCarthy
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date: June 10th, 2008
Age Range: 5-8 yrs
"With an appealing text and funny, brightly colored illustrations, Meghan McCarthy transports aspiring space travelers to astronaut school in her young nonfiction picture book. Take a ride on the “Vomit Comet” and learn how it feels to be weightless. Try a bite of astronaut food, such as delicious freeze-dried ice cream. Have your measurements taken—100 of your hand alone—for your very own space suit. Get ready for liftoff!" Astronaut Handbook summary.
This book is more for younger kids who might be dreaming of being an astronaut one day. This book covers what it takes to be an astronaut, the different types of astronauts there are, the required training, and snippets of what it's like in space. The illustrations are simple but easily identifiable, perfect for the age range suggested.
The vocabulary is also well suited to the age range, containing identifiable words and life lessons to teach younger children. In the example above, the author points out that you need to be kind to each other and not fight.
This book might not have won any awards, but the website for the author/book more than makes up for any accolades lost. The website contains multiple reviews, from Kirkus to the School Library Journal. It also includes activities such as coloring pages and how to build your own paper tube rocket. Additional information on astronauts is also available. This book lends itself well to being placed in a classroom.
Let me start by saying as a child I always wanted to be an astronaut.. I even went to space camp. I would have (and probably still would) love this book! I like how the book includes information about not only what it's like being in space but also on training requirements and different types of jobs in space. I think this would be a great book for a unit on careers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful addition to a career unit at a preschool. Four and five year olds love to explore how things work and job descriptions fascinate them. What a bonus too that this book includes so many options for lesson plans and other information for a child to discover. I am always on the lookout for more material that is STEM related and this is a perfect book for STEM connections.
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