Five Picture Books of Space Poems

Poetry books can be a huge joy or a tricky proposition for kids, depending on the style and the subject/topic. The typical collection of silly yet very kid-relatable ones (Kenn Nesbitt!) are favored to the heavier, deeper, imagery-rich, evocative ones. However, there is always something to learn, no matter what the subject, style, or format.

Outer space holds a certain fascination for some kids, while it incites an inexplicable fear in some.The older child is not a fan of outer space, despite liking the premise and adventures of Doctor Who. The younger child cannot have enough of it. If he can measure and catalog all the objects in outer space, he'd have reached one goal in life.

Anyway, here are a few children's picture books about outer space, written in verse or as poetry collections, that fascinated us at home.


Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings
by Douglas Florian  (Author)

Douglas Florian became a household name of sorts when the then six year old took a fascination for Poetrees which probably is unrelated to my (not-so) subtle influence on her reading choices at that time.

We've read a few of his poems included in National Geographic's 200 Animal Poems book, and his poetry collections in Omnibeasts and Insects, Frogs and Polliwogs; and almost always, the illustrations take front-and-center for us in his poetry books.

Twenty poems celebrate celestial things in Comets..., including the now ostracized Pluto and the ever-enigmatic black hole. All the 8 major planets are covered, even the minor planets, and the usual galaxy, constellation, and our special star, the Sun. Short, funny, and often witty, the poems entertain in a kid-friendly way.

Jupiter's jumbo,
Gigantic,
Immense,
So wide
Side to side,
But gaseous, not dense. 
With some sixteen moons 
It's plainly prolific-- 
So super-dupiter
Jupiterrific!

The bigger attraction is the art work, not surprisingly. Die cut planets peek through the pages that feature dramatic collages that complement the poem. Quite a visual treat.

Galactic Glossary and further reading makes this an instructional collection.

A galaxy has stars galore:
A million, billion, even more.
Some galaxies are round, some flat.
Some form spirals, some seem fat.
Some are egg-shaped, some have bars.
All have stars, and stars, and stars.

Harcourt has a free downloadable Poetry Kit which has some useful Poetry Pointers from Mr.Florian.

7-Imp: Seven Questions over breakfast with Douglas Florian 

[image source: blaine.org]



Out of This World: Poems and Facts about Space
by Amy Sklansky
illustrated by Stacey Schuett

One of the poems at the beginning of the book set the tone for the little guy - he read it, laughed, then ran to his dad to share it, then came over to me asking me to read aloud the Facts about the layers of our atmosphere given on that page.

With the picture showing the layers of Earth's atmosphere, and a rocketship in motion on its way out, the poem simply states:
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere
(I'm outta here!)

S P A C E

Simply brilliant!

Every poem is clever and kindles the imagination, and the pictures by Stacey Schuett add fuel to the fire, which is refreshingly abated by the Facts included on each page.

[image source: amysklansky.com]


Stargazer's Alphabet
by John Farrell

With endless supply of objects in space, the Alphabet book can be a potential goldmine for writers. Despite favoring the popular names for the stars, Og often uses the orderly Bayer Designation for them in our "I'm thinking of a Star..." guessing game at dinner time so that the much-loved Sirius is Alpha Canis Majoris and his favorite Arcturus is Alpha Boötis.

From A is for Andromeda, we parade through the celestial objects alphabetically, ending in a rather predictable Z is for Zodiac. The rhyme and lilt make it a fun read. The accompanying color photographs and diagrams are visually appealing. Plus there is enough facts/information about each to keep the young minds interested.

[image source: boydsmillspress.com]



Night Wonders
by Jane Ann Peddicord

Traveling on a beam of light, the protagonist takes us through the wonders of outer space.

First stop, The Moon a.k.a Luna - the smiling face that greets us into outer space. While the whimsical poem conveys this idea, the short paragraph of facts on the page inform us that the craters make it seem like the moon has eyes and a lop-sided grin which, from ancient times, has probably been the inspiration for personifying our very own solitary moon as a smiley face.

We take a full trip and land back wondering what else is hiding out there for us to see..

[image source: charlesbridge.com]


Blast Off!: Poems About Space (I Can Read Book 3)
by Lee Bennett Hopkins
illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Mostly about Moon and rocket ship, this poetry anthology did not quite satisfy the kid or me. One or two caught our attention and made us sit up as we recognized the poets - viz., J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen.


Star Seeker: A Journey to Outer Space is another picture book much loved and oft-read from our bookshelf.

Star Seeker: A Journey to Outer Space

Star Seeker
A Journey to Outer Space
by Theresa Heine
illustrated by Victor Tavares

Universe, as much (or as little) as we know about it, is absolutely mind-blowing. No doubt about it.

Venturing farther from our own planet, into our solar system, out to our galaxy, past our neighboring nebulae and bright constellations, the book blends scientific facts with mythology and whimsy to present an amazing poetic tour of our universe.

I'll spin like a pinwheel
Through the Milky Way's froth,
Take a ride on the Great Bear
And never fall off.

While not the book to learn scientific facts from, a prior knowledge of facts makes the reading experience rich and rewarding. Knowing about Neptune's Great Dark Spot (storm) much like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, Venus's volcanoes and hot climate, the many moons of Jupiter, the mythological stories of the constellations like Orion and Pegasus, all help us enjoy the text with jaw-dropping wonder as we take this imaginary tour of the universe.

The illustrations are stunning! Absolutely inspiring. Rich colors and enchanting images with swirls and action depict movement and adventure in this journey of fantasy undertaken by a bespectacled boy and long-haired girl.

I'll steal Neptune's winds,
'Round his rings I will whirl;
Across his Dark Spot
Like a cyclone I'll swirl.

Back of the books presents space facts, brief, clear and concise, along with tidbits from Greek mythology and Native American traditions and ancient Egyptian beliefs.

Knowing that Uranus rolls rather than spins like the rest of the planets as it orbits the sun, reading the bold declaration of the girl

I'll seize blue Uranus,
Then teach him to fly;
Like a Frisbee I'll fling him
Across the night sky.

along with the gorgeous illustration that captures the coldness and remoteness and yet the determination of the little girl makes it both fascinating and engaging.

It is one of the favorite books in our bookshelf. For the last 2 years, the older child simply loved sitting with the book open to her favorite page and dreaming about the possibilities. Now, the younger one enjoys it just as much, adding his own objections like, "No she can't do that, she can't bake ginger cookies on Venus, she'll be burned before she gets to it" or "No, they can't follow the sun, why do they say that?", as he is too literal sometimes for this fanciful adventure.

I simply gaze at the illustrations, marveling at the talent and then sit back quietly awed by the author's clever poetry. Yet another Barefoot Books publication we have on our bookshelf that affirms my faith in them for presenting quality books for the children.

[image source: barefoot books]

Older Than The Stars

Older Than The Stars
by Karen C. Fox
illustrated by Nancy Davis

Ages: 4-8

Publisher: Charlesbridge Pub Inc

You are older than the dinosaurs. 
Older than the earth. 
Older than the sun and the other planets. 
You are older than the stars. 
You are as old as the universe itself.

Thus starts this wonderful book Older than the Stars by veteran science writer Karen Fox and continues to intrigue and capture the young minds with chockful of information about the universe we happen to inhabit.

A là This is the house that Jack built, the cumulative story unfolds with
This is the BANG when the world began.

The illustrations on the page is animated with spiral scribbles and the letters B, A, N, G sort of emanating from the center of the double-page spread and radiating outwards, giving a sense of what the Big Bang must've felt like.

These are the bits that were born in the bang when the world began, the book continues with each page adding a bit more information about cosmic activities that went on to create the world we inhabit today.

Each double-page spread features bold art work with text arranged around and about the image highlighting and complementing the poem adding to the impact.

Plus a little information box on each page gives stark facts in simple enough words for the older kids: The bits zigged this way and that way, and sometimes they bumped into each other. When this happened they stuck together and formed something called atoms. Almost everything in the world is made up of atoms.

As the cumulative poem builds up, we learn why we are older than the stars: our bodies are made up of remnants of that primeval dust which is all there was and has been, getting recycled over and over into all the forms that has evolved over the age of the universe.

The resident six year old found the book interesting. Some of the scientific facts are probably beyond her grasp at her current level, but enough of it is presented in a crisp and clear manner that held her interest. Of course, the rhyming text by itself easily fascinated both the 3- and the 6- year old at home.

At the back of the book, there is a Time Line of the Universe and Glossary.

[image source: http://www.olderthanthestars.com]

[Cross-posted at Saffron Tree for our annual festival CROCUS 2011]