Science Fiction:

Herbst, Judith. The mystery of UFO. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.

This is a great science-fiction book as well as informational, it might not be all truth, but it is facts of what has occurred dealing with research on UFO’s. The book tells of short stories and incidences dealing with and around UFO’s and aliens. This is a great book for the sci-fi experts.

Teacher Resource:

Smith, Howard. Play with the sun. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.

This book is considered a teachers resource because the book is all about activities that you can do with the sun. There is a brief paragraph with each activity and a great picture and or demonstration of the activity. All of the activities include the sun; some examples are making shadows and making a sundial.

Folklore:

Mitton, Jacqueline. Zoo in the sky. Washington D.C.: National geographic Publishers, 1998.

This is a phenomenal book about the constellations and how there is a zoo in the sky. Each page had a wonderful picture of the constellation with metallic star pattern and a description of the meaning of the constellation. This is a great background for children to read about.
 

Information:

Rabe, Tishe. There’s no place like space. New York: Random House, 1999.

This book is part of The Cat in the Hat series. It is a terrific book for children preschool and above all can learn from the book. The children go on an adventure into space with the Cat in the Hat. They explore many fun things while in space and finally return safely back to their home.

Simon, Seymour. Space words: A dictionary. New York: Harper Collins, 1991.

This is a terrific first dictionary about space. Each word had an easy to read, but accurate definition and an example if possible. Also most words have a picture for those visual learners. This would be great to have in children’s library for their own reference, very useful.
 

Novel:

Davis, Kenneth. Don’t know much about space. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.

This book is divided into chapters and each chapter is a question. This is a creative technique to get the reader involved and know what each section will be covering. There are some diagrams and pictures and many reference answers and stories. This book compiles many types of writing for a variety of interests and topics for the reader.
 

Fantasy:

Branley, Franklyn. Journey into a black hole. New York: Harper and Row, 1986.

This is a cute book and about a scientist and little boy. This little boy and scientist talk about the black hole and the child is very interested, so he has an adventure. He travels into space on a one way ticket to the black hole. He does get back, but the story is of all his adventures in zero gravity.

Cole, Joanna. The magic school bus. New York, Scholastic Inc., 1990.

Part of the Magic School Bus series, this exploration will take you to the solar system and beyond. Ms. Frizzle and her class visit the planets, moons, the sun, and other objects in the solar system. This book keeps up with the wild ride tradition of the other books in the series.
 

Biographies:

Kramer, Barbara. Sally Ride: A space biography. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, 1998.

This is a biography about the first American women in space. The book talks all about sally Ride’s life before, after, and during here adventures up in space. This book contains a great amount of information and is appropriate for students who can handle a heavier read.

Kramer, Barbara. Neil Armstrong: The first man on the moon. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, 1997.

This is the same author as the Sally Ride biography. This has much of the same format as her other biographies. The book is divided into chapters that all segment a part of Neil’s life. He had the famous feet that first took step on the moon.
 

Historical Fiction:

Donnelly, Judy. Moonwalk: The first trip to the moon. New York: random House, 1989.

This is a step book for those beginning chapter book students. The novel is about the famous Apollo 11 mission when the first American was on the moon. Each chapter is a different stage in the mission to walking on the moon. The facts are told in a sequential and story manner.

Jaspersohn,William. How the universe began. New York: Franklin Watts, 1985.

This is a book all about how the world began based on the most excepted theory, the big bang theory. The book has great drawn black and white pictures. The words there poetically written, but not in verse, the words flow. This is a great introduction to a solar system unit for upper elementary.
 

Poetry:

Graham, Joan Bransfield. Flicker flash. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.

This is a terrific poetry book all about light. There are poems about campfires, moons, stars, lighthouses, etc. The poems are in the shape of the topic. For example the campfire poem the words are create a picture of a campfire.

Realistic Fiction:

Branley, Franklyn, The sky is full of stars. Canada: Fitzhenry &Whiteside, 1981.

A group of children go on a night journey to go and watch the stars. They talk about how the feel and what they see. This is a wonderful lighthearted story as well as information session on the stars above. The story comes full circle once the children go back home after their enchanted night and fall fast asleep.