Happy Book Birthday, Into Starry Outer Space: A Solar System Pop-Up by Joel Stern!

It's time to shout-out another book birthday! Yay!

I'm going to stick to the theme of stars for a couple of days (yesterday, being the first). Oh, and did you know that the Earth is currently enjoying a '2nd moon'? Yep, until the end of November, an asteroid has joined the moon in circling are planet.

Anyway, today's read is a pop-up book for the younger end of the reading audience, which should inspire about the wonders of space. I, personally, love pop-up books. So, I'm looking forward to it.

INTO STARRY OUTER SPACE

by Joel stern

Illustrated by Vivian Mineker

Little Simon

14 pages

ages 3 to 5

The creator of In a Spooky Haunted House and In the Holly Jolly North Pole returns with a thrilling pop-up board book that ventures into the vast, starry outer space!

Perfect for little astronauts in the making, this board book takes young readers into space for incredible sights and exciting fun facts! A sturdy page-turner, Into Starry Outer Space is an innovative, nonfiction pop-up story with galactic treats for all ages.

GOODREADS   /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Every page brings out the planets to teach a few facts and demonstrate how amazing our solar system is.

This books is sold for readers ages 3 to 5, but I'm going to shove up the recommendation just a teeny-tiny bit to 4 through 7. These pages are very enjoyable to flip through even for those who won't understand the text and facts. It heads from Mercury to Uranus and Neptune, leaving out Pluto (for arguable reasons, I guess). Not only the planet pops-out on the page, but a few other aspects as well to create a multi-leveled, 3-D scene. While the main text flows in rhyme with only a few light explanations as it introduces the youngest readers to the entire idea of planets and space, there are a couple lines on the pop-outs, which give more specific facts for slightly older readers. Some of these are lesser known, which makes it interesting even for adult readers.

The illustrations are bright and bold, and thanks to the joyful, main character floating right along, keep a very positive atmosphere the entire way through. It shows the fun space offers as well as a touch of imagination, since the entire thing is presented as a trip through the solar system. It makes a lovely read-aloud for smaller groups and works great for individual space fans, as well.

And here they are...

Joel Stern is the bestselling author of many books of paper crafts, including My First Origami Kit, My First Origami Fairy Tales Kit, and Washington Pops!. He conducts paper craft workshops for kids of all ages in camps, schools, community centers, and libraries, and his folded and pop-up paper creations have been exhibited throughout the world.

Vivian Mineker is a Taiwanese American illustrator whose work derives from a love of nature and animals, as well as an appreciation of the world around her. She creates visuals that she hopes connect with her audience and evoke the profound feelings and emotions that we all experience as humans. She has illustrated a number of children’s books, including The Road Not Taken, The Secret Life of Trees, What a Ship Sees, and Love Is in the Air. Visit her at VivianMineker.com.