I'm talking picture book non-fiction titles for five-year-olds that make outer space out to be really cool. But where are the books out there meant to feed their fever? The titles that make traveling in space sound fun and interesting? And not the older stuff for the ten-year-olds either. Do they have the same space fervor of my generation? We're almost prepped to go to Mars, but do they care? Well, probably a lot of them do. Basically, space stuff was in the news and incredibly important.

The moon landing was a mere fourteen years before and the Challenger tragedy would happen when I was eight. First American woman in space? How awesome was that? And because I'm talking about the height of Sally Ride fever, we kids spent a lot of time thinking about outer space and what it would be like to travel to the moon.

Every child my age knew exactly who Sally Ride was. Why when I was a mere wisp of a girl of four or five do you know whom every girl my age wanted to be? No, not Mary Lou Retton (though that would be a strong guess). It's the return of Curmudgeonly Old Lady and there's nothing I can do to stop her tirades! Flee for your very life! It would certainly inspire children' - Practical Preschool and Primary Teacher Awards 'The essential book for would-be astronauts.Back up! Back up swiftly now, because I don't know how much longer I can hold her in. The children found it fun to read as well as educational due to the illustrations and funny comments. From training tips to spacewalk hints, it's packed with real-life astronaut knowledge!' - National Geographic Kids 'A great non-fiction book, full of information for all space lovers. It's full of good practical stuff' - The Spectator 'This brilliant guide will tell you everything you need to know about becoming an astronaut and explains what life is like for space explorers. will love The Usborne Official Astronaut's Handbook, which gives you the lowdown on qualifications, the horrors of G-force and how to go to the loo in the International Space Station (into a kind of vacuum cleaner, apparently). A perfect fact book for budding space explorers.' - The Daily Telegraph 'Given that it costs about GBP300 million per ISS mission, we reckon GBP6.99 is a highly cost-effective way of learning how to train for, get to and live in space for kids - without actually going there' - Mostly Books 'This book should go to the top of any must-have list for young children interested in space travel' - Lovereading4kids 'Children who fancy a career as an astronaut. 'A fun, fact-packed and practical guide to launching your interstellar career!' - Booktrust 'A fascinating guide for budding astronauts.' - The Guardian 'Full of tips from real-life astronauts on how to steer a rocket or spacewalk.

Astronaut handbook