2025 Blogging A to Z Challenge: Outer Space
We’re heading a little further away with this book list – among the stars! While I’ve never been interested in the technology side of outer space – rockets, satellites, astronauts, I do love looking at the stars. Where I live now has entirely too much light pollution to see anything of substance.
But, when I was young, my family went camping and it so happened that a meteor shower was occurring one night. The campground had a little meeting area with a stage and maybe even a screen for showing movies, but I remember that night we laid on the benches just staring at the sky seeing countless shooting stars. It was a really cool experience! And now, where my parents live is very dark, so anytime we visit, I typically get a chance to see a bright night sky, as long as the clouds stay away!
What I love about children’s nonfiction is that there really isn’t enough pages to dive deep into a topic, but if you’re just looking for a basic overview, children’s nonfiction is a great starting point! And I’ve tried to include a wide variety of age levels, especially in this list from alphabet books to explaining astrophysics to teens!
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2025 Blogging A to Z Challenge: Outer Space
ABCs of Space by Chris Ferrie and Julia Kregenow
The ABCs of Space is a colorfully simple introduction for babies―and grownups―to a new astronomical concept for every letter of the alphabet. Written by an expert, each page in this cosmic primer features multiple levels of text so the book grows along with your little astronomer.
A Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky: Simple Ways to Explore the Universe by John A. Read
This easy-to-use stargazing guide for kids explores the popular night sky constellations, visits the brightest stars, and tours our solar system. As they learn step-by-step how to find the most fascinating sights in the night sky, readers will learn how the sky changes with each season, when to look for meteor showers, how to see the milky way, and much more!
Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy
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!
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Gregory Mone
From the basics of physics to big questions about the nature of space and time, celebrated astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the mysteries of the cosmos into bite-sized pieces. Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry describes the fundamental rules and unknowns of our universe clearly―and with Tyson’s characteristic wit, there’s a lot of fun thrown in, too.
This adaptation by Gregory Mone includes full-color photos, infographics, and extra explanations to make even the trickiest concepts accessible. Building on the wonder inspired by outer space, Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry introduces an exciting field and the principles of scientific inquiry to young readers.
Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars by Douglas Florian
Blast off with Douglas Florian’s new high-flying compendium, which features twenty whimsical poems about space. From the moon to the stars, from the Earth to Mars, here is an exuberant celebration of our celestial surroundings that’s certain to become a universal favorite among aspiring astronomers everywhere.
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by David Litchfield
“Hi, I’m Earth! But you can call me Planet Awesome.”
Prepare to learn all about Earth from the point-of-view of Earth herself! In this funny yet informative book, filled to the brim with kid-friendly facts, readers will discover key moments in Earth’s life, from her childhood more than four billion years ago all the way up to present day. Beloved children’s book author Stacy McAnulty helps Earth tell her story, and award-winning illustrator David Litchfield brings the words to life. The book includes back matter with even more interesting tidbits.
Everything Awesome About Space and Other Galactic Facts! by Mike Lowery
Did you know that the surface of the sun is hot enough to make diamonds boil? Or that one year on Neptune is 165 Earth years? Or that space is thought to smell like… burnt steak?? Find out all this and more, in this comprehensive, hilarious outer space adventure from Mike Lowery!
Perfect for fans of Dog Man who love nonfiction, this is the definitive, go-to book about everything AWESOME you EVER wanted to know about all things outer space Uncover a wealth of weird, wacky, and wild facts about our universe, from planets to supernovas to space travel and everything in-between, told in Mike Lowery’s signature, acclaimed comic style with bright and energetic artwork, fresh framing devices, and hilarious jokes. This is the go-to book for space enthusiasts that kids will put in their backpacks and obsess over, bridging the gap between encyclopedic nonfiction content and lighter picture book fare, filling the need with a one-stop shop for the legions of 7-10 year olds who want to know absolutely everything there is to know about space.
Everything Space: Blast Off for a Universe of Photos, Facts, and Fun! by Helaine Becker
Get ready to blast off into space to explore planets, stars, and beyond! This fun book will pull you in like gravity, full of fun facts, reports from explorers, maps and infographics, and more than 100 pictures.
My First Book of Planets: All About the Solar System for Kids by Dr. Bruce Betts
Get little astronomers excited about the cosmos―from the bright and burning sun, to our own blue Earth, stormy Neptune, and every planet in between. With this incredible exploration of planets for preschool and kindergarten kids, curious learners will discover the ultimate solar system book, featuring amazing pictures and fascinating facts about what makes each planet so special, including its size, distance from the sun, what the surface is like, how many moons it has, and more!
National Geographic Kids First Big Book of Space by Catherine D. Hughes
These colorful pages will introduce young children to the wonders of space, with out-of-this-world illustrations by David Aguilar and simple text that is perfect for beginning readers or for reading aloud. The book will explain basic concepts of space, beginning with what is most familiar to kids and expanding out into the universe.
The Mysteries of the Universe: Discover the Best-Kept Secrets of Space by Will Gater
Space is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. The Mysteries of the Universe is a stunning space encyclopedia for young readers to explore, with reference pages packed with fascinating information, little learners will be captivated as they journey through the vastness of the Universe. From planets and asteroids to black holes and galaxies, every page of this enthralling space book reveals the secrets behind more than 100 celestial objects, and will inspire youngsters as they journey through the vastness of the Universe. Each celestial body is shown both photographically and illustrated, and children will love poring over the detailed close-up images.
Get ready to explore fun facts and exciting new scientific discoveries as this best-selling picture book will illuminate imaginations and spark curious minds to explore the vastness of space. The engaging storybook-style descriptions and simple text shed a light on facts, myths, and key discoveries about the universe, perfect for children aged 6-8 to explore the wonders of our solar system and beyond.
Visual Galaxy: The Ultimate Guide to the Milky Way and Beyond
Visual Galaxy is a deep dive into the past, present, and future of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. In this mind-expanding visual tour through the cosmos, spectacular photographs are converted into interpretive graphics, starting with the sun and moving outward into space where stars are born, black holes lurk, and planets of diverse size and anatomy spin through their orbit. The final chapters locate our galaxy within the known universe and add a scintillating peek of other exoplanets in the cosmos. Detailed maps and fascinating imagery from recent space missions are paired with clear, authoritative scientific information.
2025 is my tenth year participating in the Blogging A to Z Challenge! This year, I chose as my theme: Fact Finders Club: Nonfiction for Curious Kids with a focus on providing book lists focused on all types of nonfiction books for readers from birth to teens. Each letter of the alphabet will focus on different topics and will provide twelve titles on each list. Nonfiction is having a heyday in children’s literature and if you think it’s dry and boring, then I implore you to take a look at these amazing suggestions! Stop by daily to check out the new books and other posts that I’ll be sharing in April.
