Blast-off up into the sky goes the space shuttle. Into orbit, the astronauts get a taste of ready-to-eat food, experience zero gravity, go for space walks, and even fix a satellite. It's fun to fly aboard the shuttle...and then come back to earth. A young girl declares her longing to fly on the shuttle into outer space. The familiar acts of eating, sleeping, and working become intense and special as she and the rest of the crew go about their business.
Children are typically awed by the marvel of space travel, and this book will certainly pique that interest. It is very straightforward but introduces children to some fun facts about space travel like ready-to-eat meals and zero gravity. The book has beautiful illustrations that your little one will enjoy looking at again and again.
By having a child as the main character, Barton makes this adventure to space a very personal one for young readers. As you read together, the child will imagine themselves in the position of an astronaut, doing all of the incredible tasks that astronauts do. He or she will also like to follow along with the boldly lettered words. Since there are so few words per page, the book teaches the skill of word recognition.
My neighbor Jacob just turned four year olds and is absolutely obsessed with astronauts. He created a spaceship out of an old cardboard box and uses it in tandem with his imagination out in the backyard. When I go outside on a nice day, Jacob is always conducting some sort of important space mission. This is such a great book because it delves into a subject that provokes a lot of curiosity from kids and demonstrates to them that anything is possible.
--Eve