I’ve always lived in a city flooded with light. I can count on one hand the number of times in my life that I’ve been mesmerized and shocked by the grandeur of the night sky – not because I’m difficult to please and “ew, stars, gross!” but because I legitimately haven’t seen them very often. As a kid I spent summers with my grandparents at their cabin in Newfoundland, Canada – and while that remote area wasn’t flooded with light – a rainy, foggy, cloudy island in the Atlantic ocean didn’t make stargazing much easier.
I had grand visions during our homeschool year studying space to go camping in Joshua Tree National Park, or some other remote space with huge night skies and little moisture…but even though I am in California, Joshua Tree is still a 9 hour drive away and also there are scorpions and tarantulas? Whatever, it didn’t happen.
However, we DID get a hot tub (yay!) and spent a lot more time outside at night staring up at the night sky, warm and relaxed. Could we see the greatest of star-scapes through the branches of our avocado tree and the light pollution of Silicon Valley? No. But we did see Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars, Orion, the Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia, so not too bad.
For the SEO optimization algorithm, I am supposed to start my blog posts with my search keywords (which are also the words in my title) in the first paragraph. This fact about having people find my blog drives me insane because it limits my creativity and I have to awkwardly begin every post with a “Welcome to this post about living books about stars and stargazing! Read on for more.” And honestly, I personally don’t enjoy reading blog posts like that. So today, I’m going to throw caution to the wind and I’m going to wish upon a star that you will find this blog post despite me openly rejecting the rules of SEO. *Embarrassing and shameless plug: One way you can find my blog posts is by joining my mailing list.* * You can also read other things I’ve written by clicking through my archives*.
It feels likely that when writing about something as awe-inspiring as the night-sky maybe SEO rules will be transcended? Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight...
Anyways, back to stars…
Stars are a magical, beautiful thing for kids. Kids get to stay up past their bedtime to see them. Stars twinkle. Kids know songs and rhymes about them. Stars are mind-bogglingly far away. Stargazing is also accessible for kids. You don’t need a fancy telescope to do it, just eyes, and maybe a cozy blanket and a teddy or two.
Here are some books that inspired my kids to start stargazing and get excited about what’s out there in the universe.
Gail Gibbons is one of my go-to authors for non-fiction content for kids. She writes in a very approachable way about stargazers through time as well as what you can see if you begin to study the night sky too.
Fancy Nancy – Stellar Stargazer! by Jane O’Connor
One thing I know for sure, if Fancy Nancy does it, my daughter will definitely want to do it too. I highly recommend both Stellar Stargazer as well as Fancy Nancy Sees Stars (below) for any little girl scientists in your life (or boys too!)
Fancy Nancy Sees Stars by Jane O’Connor
The Sky is Full of Stars by Franklyn M. Branley
Another stalwart of children’s non-fiction literature is Franklyn M. Branley’s series “Let’s Read and Find Out Science”. He has several books in this series on the subject of space, and this is a great one about stars.
The Big Dipper by Franklyn M. Branley
The Big Dipper was the first constellation I could consistently pick out of the sky as a child. A tangential book to read that tells the story of how slaves in the American south escaped to freedom using the stars in the Big Dipper constellation to find their way North.
Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeannette Winter
Where Are the Constellations? by Stephanie Sabol
My 10-year-old space-obsessed son also loves the Who HQ series. He likes how they lay out information in these books and I recommend them as independent readers for upper elementary students.
Waiting is Not Easy by Mo Willems
No matter how old you are Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series is sure to bring a smile to your face. I love Waiting is Not Easy. I used to quote this book to my children all the time when they were toddlers and we were having to wait for something. If you have a preschooler in your home learning about space along with your older children – this is a wonderful book to add to your shelf for them.
The Stars: A New Way to See Them by H.A. Rey
This book about the constellations is written by the author of Curious George. We really enjoyed learning more about each constellation and its place in the night sky.
Outside of books, I would also recommend the Sky Guide App, which I downloaded from the app store. It really helped me know what I was looking at.
I hope these resources inspire you to get outside with your family (or even by yourself) and look up in the night sky and see what you can see!
Warmly,
-Heather
ps: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, from which I earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting my blog! I am a real person and I really have read these books with my children.
Enjoyed this post? Check out some of my other recent posts!
- Living Books about Stars and Stargazing
- Living Books about Planet Earth
- Living Books about the Planets
- Living Books about the Sun and the Moon
- A Year of Stellar Science – Homeschool Study of Space
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