Children’s author and illustrator Chloe Savage’s book, The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish, won the Illustrated Books category at the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2024 with the judging panel calling it a “unique story about insatiable curiosity”. Who better to pick five children’s book to inspire awe for our universe?
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Carson Ellis
Humankind has been both worrying about, and celebrating, our place in the universe since the first hunter-gatherers walked the Earth. This book celebrates our place in the passage of time, and our constant relationship with the changing sun.
Pluto Gets the Call by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laurie Keller
Wonderfully funny and empathetic, this is a great book for my fellow visual learners, a brilliant introduction to the characters of our neighbour planets.
A Galaxy of Her Own: Amazing Stories of Women in Space by Libby Jackson
Essential reading to celebrate the history of women in space exploration, and maybe a small reminder of the many more women whose contribution has been unacknowledged.
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by Markus Motum
I love this book. The colour palette is gorgeous and brings life to the first Earth-being to live on another planet. It’s still an extraordinary thought.
The Dog Who Danced on the Moon by John Boyne, illustrated by Ashling Lindsay
Lindsay’s pictures are a joy, full of adventure and personality. Much of space exploration is fuelled by imagination, and you’ll find it here in bucketloads.
