BOOKS ABOUT CONSTELLATIONS, THE MOON, AND SPACE (with some silliness thrown in)

There was a point in time when all my oldest son wanted to check out from the library were books about space and astronomy.  (It was after his Dinosaur and Oceans/Sharks Phases.)  Since we homeschooled, I was completely happy to help him find books that fed his interest!

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In this post I've included books we enjoyed back then - along with a few new ones I've discovered since.  Some are silly, some are sweet, and several are very informative and educational.  So...."To infinity and beyond!!"

PICTURE BOOKS: 

HARRY AND HORSIE by Katie Van Camp, illustrated by Lincoln Agnew.  (ages 3 and up)  A little boy named Harry follows his best-friend-stuffed-animal, "Horsie", out into the night sky in order to rescue him and bring him back home, in this charming retro-space adventure.

HOW TO CATCH A STAR and THE WAY BACK HOME by Oliver Jeffers (ages 3 and up)  Cute childhood fantasy stories and unique illustrations by this new author/illustrator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

I'LL SEE YOU WHEN THE MOON IS FULL by Jim Fowler, illustrated by Susi Fowler (ages 4-8).  Delightful tale of a father going away on a business trip and how he explains to his son how long until he'll be home: "...when the moon is full."  He proceeds to explain the phases of the moon.
 

WAIT TIL THE MOON IS FULL by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Garth Williams. (ages 4-8).  In this story, a little raccoon must wait - as his mother tells him - "Til the Moon Is Full" to go out into the night.   So he waits, as the moon gets bigger and bigger...

SPACE CASE by Edward Marshall, illustrated by James Marshall.  (Kindergarten and up).  A silly Halloween story, in which a "thing" from outer space thinks he is joining some other aliens, who are actually children out Trick-or-Treating.  Funny humor and illustrations.

NON-FICTION:

THE MOON BOOK by Gail Gibbons. (ages 4-8)  Gail Gibbons does a great job with science books for kids.  Her simple, bright illustrations and explanations with just the right amount of detail, offer a great introduction to young children in this book about the moon.

GLOW-IN-THE DARK CONSTELLATIONS by C.E. Thompson (ages 4-8)

THE GLOW-IN-THE-DARK NIGHT SKY BOOK by Clint Hatchett (ages 9-12)

FIND THE CONSTELLATIONS by H.A. Rey.  (ages 9-12) The statistical data in this classic has been updated, but the vintage illustrations remain the same!

MOONWALK: FIRST TRIP TO THE MOON (Step-into-Reading Book) by Judy Donnelly. (ages 5-8)  Historic trip to the Moon of the crew of APOLLO II and their lunar module, "EAGLE". School Library Journal: The story of Apollo II's historic flight, from lift-off, through 'The Eagle has landed,' to splashdown and quarantine. Donnelly does a good job of setting the stage with chapters on the history of the idea of flight to the moon, astronaut selection and training, and look at the flight's effect on people in general.