Space books for kids and teens
Books are the rocket fuel that can instantly transport us to new worlds, real or imagined – from the ancient riverbeds of Mars, to the icy moons of Jupiter, and even to other planets, stars, and galaxies beyond our solar system.
The following listNote de bas de page1 of fiction and non-fiction space-related books was put together in collaboration with the CSA's Larkin Kerwin Library to spark your children's and students' imagination, sense of curiosity and exploration.
3, 2, 1 – Let's get reading!
Pre-readers
- The Explorers Club (two e-books created by the CSA)
- Hooray for SLS! by NASA's Lane Polak
- The Darkest Dark by former CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillion
- The Northern Lights – Nunavummi Reading Series by Diane Ellis
- Sky Sisters by Jan Bourdeau Waboose
- Mouse Celebrates the Winter Solstice by Terri Mack
- The Star People: A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson
- Junior Encyclopedia of Space by Kim Huynh, David Marchand and Guillaume Prévôt
- MC Longneck's Epic Space Adventure and Mars Rover Rescue by Andrew Rader
- Space Stories Series by Stacy McAnulty
- Ma fusée and Un jour, j'irai sur Mars by Paul Martin (French only)
- Biscuit et Cassonade dans l'espace by Caroline Munger (French only)
Early readers (5–8 years old)
- Hooray for SLS! by NASA's Lane Polak
- My Book of Stars and Planets by Parshati Patel
- The Prince of Stars by M.O. Yuksel
- Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
- There Was a Black Hole that Swallowed the Universe by Chris Ferrie
- Ada Lace, Take Me to Your Leader by Emily Calandrelli
- Go for Liftoff! How to Train Like an Astronaut by former CSA astronaut Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti
- Keepers of the Night: Native Stories and Nocturnal Activities for Children by Joseph Bruchac and Michael J. Caduto
- Mission to Space by former NASA astronaut John Herrington
- How to Be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs: The Ultimate Guide to Working in Space by Sheila Kanani
- Can You Get … in Space series by Sheila Kanani
- Luisa and the Magic Star and Luisa and the Star Thief by Geraldine Santiago
- Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by Markus Motum
- See Inside the Solar System by Rosie Dickins
- Najma dans les étoiles by Farah Alibay and Jeremy Tabor (French only)
- Le chat qui rêvait d'aller sur… la Lune by Lucie Dore (French only)
- Henry sous les étoiles by Pierre Labrie (French only)
- L'incroyable destin d'Albert Einstein qui perça le mystère de l'espace-temps by Raphaël Martin (French only)
- Les sciences spatiales series by Marie-Hélène Cyr (French only)
- Thétys et les légumes de l'espace by Marie-Hélène Cyr (French only)
- La Lune by Cathy Franco (French only)
- Navette et fusées by Sophie Dussaussois (French only)
- Une visite guidée du système solaire by Pierre Chastenay (French only)
- Mon fascinant univers by David Marchand and Guillaume Prévôt (French only)
- Les astronautes by Cathy Franco and Jacques Dayan (French only)
Pre-teens (9–12 years old)
- First Woman: NASA's Promise for Humanity – Expanding Our Universe (PDF, 9.6 MB), issue 2 of a NASA graphic novel series featuring a fictional CSA astronaut, graciously hosted on the Iceland Space Agency website
- Magazine Les Débrouillards – L'assistant scientifique : L'exploration lunaire (French only)
- To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Spaceby former CSA astronaut Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti
- Destination: Space – Living on Other Planets by former CSA astronaut Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti
- Space on Earth: How Thinking Like an Astronaut Can Help Save the Planet by former CSA astronaut Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti
- Mighty Mission Machines by former CSA astronaut Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti
- Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
- Ada Lace, Take Me to Your Leader by Emily Calandrelli
- Space Chasers by former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin and Joe Caramagna
- Chasing Space (Young Readers Edition) by former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin
- Strong Stories Métis: How the Moon Came to Be by Leah Marie Dorion
- Mi'kmaw Moons: The Seasons in Mi'kma'ki by David Chapman and Cathy Jean LeBlanc
- Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Gregory Mone
- Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson
- Cyrus, l'encyclopédie qui raconte by Christiane Duchesne and Carmen Marois (French only)
- Objectif Mars series by Marie-Hélène Cyr (French only)
- Pirates de l'espace collection by Aurélie Wellestein (French only)
- L'espace by Natacha Scheidhauer (French only)
Teens
- First Woman: NASA's Promise for Humanity – Expanding Our Universe (PDF, 9.6 MB), issue 2 of a NASA graphic novel series featuring a fictional CSA astronaut, graciously hosted on the Iceland Space Agency website
- Galaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space by Libby Jackson
- Space on Earth: How Thinking Like an Astronaut Can Help Save the Planet by former CSA astronaut Dave Williams and Loredana Cunti
- Tipiskawai Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories by Wilfred Buck
- Everything about Astronauts: Fascinating Fun Facts and Trivia about Astronauts for Teens and Adults by Marianne Jennings
- Dr Space Junk vs The Universe: Archaeology and the Future by Alice Gorman
- Urban Legends from Space: The Biggest Myths About Space Demystified by Bob King
- Objectif Mars series by Marie-Hélène Cyr (French only)
- Dans la combi de Thomas Pesquet by Marion Montaigne (French only)
All ages
- Indigenous Moon stories and the 13 moons cycle by Cree Researcher and Knowledge Keeper Wilfred Buck
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 1 & 2 by Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli
- The Adventure of Tintin — Destination Moon by Hergé
- The Adventure of Tintin — Explorers on the Moon by Hergé
CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques reads The Explorers Club story live from space to children assembled at CSA headquarters. (Credit: CSA)
To get inspired, you can also search for space books for children in English and French in the CSA's Larkin Kerwin Library collection, Library and Archives Canada collection or in Constellations, a selection of annotated books for young readers in preschool, elementary and secondary school designed for education by the Quebec Ministry of Education.
Sincere thanks to the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Service Centre for their input through the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec's La cabane à culture initiative.
