Grey, Mini. Toys in Space. U.S. edition: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. 32 pages (978–0–307-97812–7)

Ages 4-8

“That summer night, for the first time the toys were left outside. The sun went down, the sky grew dark, and, for the very first time … they saw THIS.” This being the dazzle of the stars in the sky. It’s overwhelming for some of them, and when Blue Rabbit asks for a story, WonderDoll spins a tale of a starry sky, and a spaceship, and a sad, glove-like alien called the Hoctopize who beams up seven toys left out in yard, hoping to find its lost Cuddles. Mini Grey’s warm, witty adventure features a cast of distinctive characters in a sweetly funny story. The seven toys left out in the yard are not only the characters in WonderDoll’s story, but provide an ongoing commentary about it. Dynamic illustrations incorporating panels and speech bubbles are an essential part of the humor.  © Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Sayre, April Pulley. Stars Beneath Your Bed. Illustrated by Ann Jonas. Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins, 2005. 24 pages (0-06-057189-6)

Ages 5-8

Poetry and science grace one another in a lyrical picture book about dust. Sayre’s narrative begins with reference to a fire-painted sky in the morning -— the result of dust in the atmosphere scattering light. It ends by describing the pink, orange and red palette of sunset -— also the result of dust. In between, Sayre examines many of the ways dust is created: dirt flies when we ride our bikes, when a meerkat digs, when cheetahs chase gazelles; cotton rubs off our jeans and becomes dust; so does the smoke from burning toast or the eyelash of seal. “Old dust stays around . . . That dusty film on your computer screen / might have muddied a dinosaur.” And there is dust that comes from outer space: “The dust beneath your bed might be from Mars . . . or a bit of the moon.” Who knew? Dust may be small, but Sayre invites readers to consider it as an extraordinary element in the grand scheme of nature. A short prose narrative at the end of the book provides additional scientific information about dust and expands on information referenced in the poetic text. Ann Jonas’ bright water-color illustrations are a simple, strong backdrop for the words. (MS) ©2005 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Aston, Dianna Hutts. Moon Over Star. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Dial, 2008. 32 pages (978-0-8037-3107-3)

Ages 7-10

In the summer of1969, young Mae feels growing anticipation as the hour for the moon landing draws near. “A spaceship would land on the moon today, / And I dreamed that maybe one day, / I could go to the moon, too.” Mae and her cousins pretend to be the astronauts, and she is full of facts to share—about the moon being 240,000 miles away, and about President Kennedy’s declaration in 1961 that America would land on the moon. As the family gathers around the television to watch Neil Armstrong take the first steps on the moon, even Mae’s grandpa, who thinks money spent on the space program could do so much more good here on earth, seems impressed. “I reckon that’s something to remember,” he says. As for Mae, it’s something to inspire dreams. Dianna Hutts Aston’s poetic narrative is set against Jerry Pinkney’s stirring graphite, ink and watercolor illustrations in which scenes of African American Mae and her family are interspersed with the vision of her imagination and the astronauts’ experiences in space.  © Cooperative Children’s Book Center