Astronomy books for kids

Here we have enlisted some amazing books on astronomy, telescopes and observing the night sky available especially for kids.

Most of the people think astronomy is a hard subject which can be grasped by the grown ups only. But in fact, astronomy is not really that much hard. It can be started by teaching a kid how to enjoy the night sky and recognize different stars with their bare eyes. And after that, you can let them read some awesome books on astronomy written only for them. 

Before choosing the best astronomy books for your child, you should figure out what kinds of astronomy books are available and which one will be the best for you. The first kind of book is about astronomy including different stories, fun projects or histories. These types of books are really fun and enthusiastic for the next level of learning, and you do not need to take your child under the sky for observation to understand the book. The second type of book is on hand-on experience on stargazing or sky observation which is also a practical fun book. It will tell you the ways of locating different night sky objects and enjoy them.

In fact, both types of books are perfect for the kids who are interested in astronomy. Learning about the night sky is incomplete without exploring them in practical. So both types of books help the readers to learn in all the areas.

A note from the telescope nerd: If you think a telescope can help your child to a great extent to learn about night sky, You can go through our Nerd’s Guide to Telescopes for kids.

Category 1: Hands on books for kids on Night-sky exploration and Telescope

Book 1: Exploring the Night Sky: The Equinox Astronomy Guide for Beginners

Fig 1: Cover art of the book, ‘Exploring the Night Sky: The Equinox Astronomy Guide for Beginners

This book is for novice star gazers appropriate for any child of any age. The author, Dickinson has introduced astronomy as clearly as possible for a child. There are simple explanations with beautiful photographs which makes the book very user-friendly. You also can get an idea on this award winning book by going through the reviews of the readers posted to the amazon.com website.

Book 2: A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky

Fig 2: The cover art of the book, ‘A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and Constellations–and How You Can Find Them in the Sky (Ages 9-12)’

This book is for children of more than 8 years old. This book is full of information on introductory astronomy despite being basically conversational. It includes the experiences of the famous astronomers, stories on our solar system and different constellations, and the history of space exploration. Simple definitions and colorful illustrations make the book attractive and engaging to the children. It also provides a star wheel to assist the kids to detect any star and planet at any time of the year and from any location on the earth.

Book 3: Find the Constellations

Fig 3: Cover art of the book, ‘Find the Constellations”A ‘must’ for public and school libraries and a wonderful book for an individual or family to own.” Reading level (ages 9-12)

This is an amazing book for kids of 9-12 years old. It includes charts of stars and constellations, explanations on the seasons and the movement of different objects in the sky. It is clear that the author H . A . Rey made each page of this book with full passion. The second edition of this book added the latest scientific information, for example: the reason why Pluto is reclassified as a dwarf planet.

Category 2:  Astronomy, learning and activity focused books

Book 1: Kids Book of the Night Sky

Fig 4: Cover art of the book, ‘Kids Book of the Night Sky, The (Family Fun) (Ages 9-12)

This is a family fun series book where the kids of the family discover all the secrets of the mysterious night sky. It includes star maps for each season so that they understand which objects can be found in what season.

Book 2: Zoo in the Sky

Fig 5: Cover art of the book ‘Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations (Ages 4-8)’ 

This book is basically a picture book which introduces specifically the constellations that are named after animals, for example; the Great Bear and Little Bear, Leo the Lion, and so on. This is published by the National Geographic Society with Christina Balit’s amazing paintings. Every picture here has its own story on the stars and the objects of the constellation. Dr. Jacqueline Mitton, the writer of the book added attractive thrills to the pictures with his dramatized description in the stories. This also includes star maps at the beginning and the end.

Book 3: Everything Kids’ Astronomy Book

Fig 6: Cover art of the book, ‘Everything Kids’ Astronomy Book: Blast into outer space with steller facts, intergalactic trivia, and out-of-this-world puzzles’ (Everything Kids Series).

This book is for kids of age 9-12. This is an awesome book for astronomy lover kids as it makes them feel that they are exploring space and going to another galaxy riding on a rocket or spaceship. The little astronomers can learn about almost everything the astronomers-in-training learn. It answers various question like why the earth spins and how gravity works, why Mars is so hot and what those rings around Saturn are and so on.