Summer Reading Storytime: space, week 3

My turn again!

Three fun ones about rockets and heading off into space, to tie into our program this afternoon where a team from the local amateur radio club will be using HAM radios to ask questions of an astronaut (an actor in costume, hidden in the building).

Hedgie Blasts Off!
written and illustrated by Jan Brett
ISBN: 0399246215
Hedgie works the clean-up crew for the Professor's space program, but something's gone terribly wrong, and the robot that they want to use to for the mission has malfunctioned. Only someone Hedgie's size can fit into the rocket, so Hedgie finally gets to realize his dreams of being an astronaut, as he heads out to the mini-planet of Mikkop and the malfunctioning magic geyser that shoots up the sparkles needed to nourish the beautiful tourist-pleasing plants of the tiny planet. A cute look at astronauts, eco-tourism, conservation, and the interdependence of life, even on tiny little planets in outer space, all narrated by a humble Hedgie.

Space Boy 
written and illustrated by Leo Landry
ISBN: 9780618605682
While no formal diagnosis is given, this book seems written with Spectrum individuals in mind. Nicholas is headed to bed, but the world is too noisy. Dogs are barking, kids are crying and playing, cars are zooming outside; there's nothing for it but to drag on the spacesuit, head out back to the rocketship, and head to the moon for some peace and quiet. But after a while, and once he's settled down, he realizes he misses his family, (and hopes things have settled down there also) and heads back home to bed. Very sweet, and a good allegory of taking time to yourself and creating a quiet place in your mind (or backyard) to retreat to when things get too overwhelming.

Otter In Space
written and illustrated by Sam Garton
ISBN: 9780062247766
I dearly love the Otter books. They're just too adorable for words, but this one might be my favorite. After Otter Keeper takes Otter (and friends) to the Space Museum, and there's a familiar breakdown in the gift-shop when money never goes quite as far as it ought to, Otter (and friends) hatch a plan to find a moon rock of their very own in their back yard, building space suits and rockets and rock-retrieval-systems to help with the very hard work. They pick an excellent moon rock from the garden (and by excellent I think they picked the biggest, dirtiest one they could find) and dragged it triumphantly inside, whereupon Otter Keeper comes home from work and is Not Pleased. Compromises are made, rocks are washed, and Otter (and friends) decide that Pirate Treasure is an easier journey than Moon Rocks for tomorrow.

 

Tuesday Storytime: Summer Reading: Not Quite Space

Sometimes imagination can be better than facts, and outer space provides plenty of "scope for the imagination" as Ann of Green Gables would have said. These stories show the kinds of fun you can have when you blast off - even if you never really leave the ground.

No, No, Kitten!
Shelley Moore Thomas, illustrated by Lori Nichols
ISBN: 9781620916315
Kitten keeps getting into things, but she's not being naughty just to be bad - she's got BIG plans.

Planet Kindergarten
Sue Ganz-Schmitt, illustrated by Shane Prigmore
ISBN: 978145211893
Cute kid heads off to "planet kindergarten" for his first mission with his new crewmates. Very well-executed premise, just a couple of groaners or really stretched concepts.

Otter in Space
Sam Garton
ISBN: 9780062247766
I only recently discovered Otter and Otter Keeper, and oh my goodness am I in love. (Don't keep otters for pets tho, seriously - they'll destroy your house and be unhappy.) But in this fictional universe, Otter is a bored stay-at-home pet who manages to subvert his daily activities into environment-destroying fun every single time. In this installment, Otter has discovered space, and he's headed to the moon for a moon rock.