The Book of Blast Off! 15 Real-life Space Missions

Let's get into position.... and go on an interstellar mission! Come with the spacesuit-wearing dog to find out about 15 real-life expeditions into space.

From Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit Earth, to Voyager 1, which is now more than 14 billion miles away, there have been many firsts in space exploration and travel.

Timothy Knapman describes many dramatic moments, such as the life-threatening plight of Apollo 13, and the first all-female spacewalk – and all in rhyme!

The simple yet informative words are brilliantly complemented by the bright, friendly illustrations from Nik Henderson. Some spacecraft have been drawn in a simplified manner for the young reader, and to ensure that important parts can be labelled.

There is also a glossary at the end, along with several pages of further information on (and photographs of) these missions. The combination of picture book format and illustrations with these more sophisticated final pages means that children across a wide age range will enjoy reading the book.

It would also be a good choice to read aloud to a class or group of children as the rhythm of the words is easy to follow and there is no tricky jargon. Space fans will love poring over this book.