How to be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs: The Ultimate Guide to Working in Space

Bought as a Xmas stocking filler for my 7yr old granddaughter who has just taken up astronomy. I'm an old astronomy hack and know the author who recommended the book. Highly recommended for any budding space nurd :)

A perfect book for any young space fans. Informative and interesting, with fantastic illustrations. The stickers were really great too.

Think it won a World Book Day award. Perfect for my 7 year old's school space project.

Bought as a gift. It seems to be of a very good quality.

Nice book. Bought for school project.

'How to be an Astronaut and Other Space Jobs' is being pitched in the blurb as the ‘The Ultimate Guide to Working in Space’ and it does it exactly that. There’s a handy introduction to space, the history of space travel, and what it’s like to be an astronaut before we’re introduced to just about every job that makes space travel possible. This includes computer engineers, designers of space suits, satellites and spaceships as well as the various roles in Mission Control, planetary scientists, astrobiologists and exoplanet hunters. The list continues and, whatever the reader’s skills or interests, there’s likely to be a job that will appeal.If you regularly read my reviews, you’ll know I normally review fiction for children and young adults rather than non-fiction. However, the moment I heard about this book I was intrigued enough to want to read more. And I’m so glad I did.The book is positively bursting with facts about space from those that you would expect to a selection of facts than range from the unusual to the downright bizarre. For example, did you know that there are more stars in space than there are grains of sand on the whole Earth? Or that you need to be able to speak Russian to be an astronaut? Or even the fact that astronauts have a special piece of Velcro in inside their helmets, so they can scratch their noses!Author, Dr Shelia Kanani, has also included facts that will particularly appeal to children – such as the short description of how a space toilet works and how the spacesuits for Moon Landings have built-in nappies! The text is pitched at the right level for children, being easy to understand and follow. Without preaching, the book also makes a strong case for why we need to look after our world.The book is well designed with lots of stylised yet clear pictures. Added to this, there are two pages of stickers at the end of the book along with a double-sided fold out page to use these stickers to create what a holiday to the moon might look like or what it might be like to travel in outer space. And, if this isn’t enough to appeal to children, there’s also a press-out kit to build your own rocket! (Sorry I can’t comment on how easy this is as I haven’t tried building mine yet.)

ional read.How To Be An Astronaut – Dr Sheila Kanani, illustrated by Sol LineroIf you talk to children about what they want to be when they grow up, being an astronaut is bound to be a popular answer. But what do you need to do to become an astronaut and what other jobs are there in space? ‘How to be an Astronaut,’ aims to answer these questions in this bright and bold book bursting with interesting things to discover. Vibrant illustrations sit alongside insights such as the history of space exploration, what astronauts actually do on the space station and how the moon actually feels. There are so different space jobs to discover, from discovering new planets to becoming a spacecraft engineer this book uncovers the complexities behind space travels allowing us to understand how it truly happens. Encouraging children to embrace their passions and showing them a world of opportunities awaits, this book is a unique take on space exploration.

I ordered two copies of this book in case the first one was faulty - but the paperback doesn’t come with the stickers or rocket as advertised and shown in the photo. I also checked the publishers website which said the paperback includes both of the above. The book itself is great - but as I was hoping for the interactive element - I will be returning.