The Darkest Dark
by Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillion, illustrated by The Fan Brothers
Interest age: 4 to 7
Reading age: 6+
Published by Macmillan Children's Books, 2016
About this book
Chris is an important astronaut; too important to have a bath or go to bed. He's got aliens to zap and planets to visit. He's too busy to sleep - or let his parents sleep. Because at night, Chris's room is full of the worst kind of dark - the kind that attracts aliens.
But one night, Chris watches the Apollo 11 moon landing. When he sees the astronauts jumping for joy, Chris decides to be an astronaut in real life, not just in his dreams. And he notices that although space is very, very dark, it's full of magic and mystery.
Commander Chris Hadfield has orbited the earth thousands of times on three space missions. His first children's book, atmospherically illustrated by Terry and Eric Fan, draws on his own childhood fear of the dark and his gradual realisation that dark is exciting and that dreams can come true.
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Lists of recommended reads
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Books to celebrate Moon Day
20 July is Moon Day, to mark the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing: when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took one giant leap for mankind. These books are a brilliant way to get your child excited about the history of space travel. Some delve more into the science side, others look at the mythology of the moon and why it has long captured the imagination of people around the world. And, most important of all, these books are just a fun way to think and talk about space!