Best children aeronautics & space books according to redditors

There were 5 books released yesterday.

Books Released 12/18:

1. Before the Awakening - Amazon, Google Play
   
2. The Force Awakens Novelization - Amazon, Google Play
   
3. Force Awakens, The: Incredible Cross-Sections - Amazon
   
4. Force Awakens, The: Visual Dictionary - Amazon
   
5. Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Amazon
   
   If you want to catch up on the new Star Wars Canon check out my video explaining the new canon.
   

I've done quite a few elementary schools. If you do a Q&A you are gonna be there for a whole week. And maybe 20% of the questions will be aviation related. I've heard stories about their sisters getting in car crashes, the plot of the movie Madagascar 1 & 2, and everything in between. When kids go off on tangents, the go off on...whatever would be a further slope than a tangent... Also if you stand up there and talk the whole time, you are gonna lose their attention after 5 minutes. Kids that young, you need to make a game of it, or work with the teacher to come up with something like a paper airplane throwing contest. After I went and spoke one of the teachers told me she pulled a few projects out of this book that worked pretty well. Or, depending on how many kids there are and how much you want to spend(if anything) you could get a bunch of these and talk about the different parts of the airplane. May give you kind of an idea. Not sure how much in depth you are trying to go. The teacher was a college friend I was trying to get with so I went the extra mile.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Incredible-Cross-Sections/dp/1465438157

In case anyone was looking for it. Lots of neat details and illustrations.

not OP, but, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections

Depending on the age of the kid, these could be some good ones:

What Do You Believe?

See Inside World Religions

The Belief Book and others in that series

What is God? (this one does presuppose some kind of a higher power, but compares its depiction across many religions and suggests that god is in us/everywhere around us/basically the concept of good)

I Wonder (not specifically about religion, but more about the idea that science can answer some questions but not yet all - some things are a mystery that we can only wonder about)

Also definitely recommend including some books on the scientific version of the creation story (i.e. the big bang, evolution, etc) so kids have that perspective to draw on as well. Again depending on the age, some good ones are:

Older Than the Stars

Big Bang: The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck That Became Spectacular

One Day a Dot: The Story of You, The Universe, and Everything

Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story

Grandmother Fish

Sapiens: Our Human Evolution

Hope some of those are helpful! :)

I've been a lurker on space for a long time, but I saw this and I crated an account to post. I have four kids, the three oldest are daughters. My four year old loves space and science. She amazes me at being able to understand big concepts like this. I think the tools posted here might be a little overkill for that age though. Everyone learns differently, but for my four year old I have been able to explain concepts like this by relating to objects she understands (small ants vs us vs planet vs stars for example).

Do you have a local planetarium? She LOVES going, and our local one has a kids program that touches on scale and basic physics. She also loves watching Cosmos (although she has trouble making it through an entire episode in one sitting). She has figured out a good amount of topics like this on her own from video. I also read to her a book from time to time AmazonLink This book has mixed reviews, but it has worked for us and definitely paints a picture of scale in different parts.

I hope this helps and good luck! I was very excited to have one of my kids so interested in space. I just try and keep it as fun as possible.

> But then again what about the quraan mentioning 11 planets in surat yousif for example, that one is loud and clear.

The word "planet" has been redefined many times. There are basically 11 huge planet-like bodies in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Ceres and Eris. Just google for the topic and you'll get a lot of results for the topic. Or, try this book: https://www.amazon.com/11-Planets-View-Solar-System/dp/1426302363

Also, it's entirely possible that the Quranic word doesn't translate exactly to the word "planet". It could mean heavenly bodies.

Edit: The Quran mentions that it was Yusuf who saw the 11 planets in a dream. It's not really stating a fact that there are 11. It's just what Yusuf saw. That's my opinion

Here are some other reasons which explain more about Rey's talents and abilities:


From "Star Wars: The Force Awakens, "Star Wars The Force Awakens: Before the Awakening" and "Star Wars: Force Awakens Incredible Cross Sections"

• (Summary of Rey's chapter in "Before the Force"): Rey has friends on Jakku. She fixed a downed freighter and made it flyable. She even repaired/replaced it's hyperdrive and it worked. Her friends decide to steal it from her and use it to escape Jakku when they find out that Rey didn't want to leave because of her hopes of her family returning. Instead she wanted to sell it to Unkar for a lot of portions (she imagines hundreds of portions or more). Her friends end up taking the ship and leaving without her.
  
  
• Her speeder is capable of low-altitude flight and can even do barrel-rolls. So Rey does have some real flight experience from this. However, she has never flown "off-planet". As posted in a different thread by /u/twinspiritradio:
  
  
  • In the cross-section of her speeder, it says that when it's not carrying salvage, it can gain incredible speeds and perform such moves like barrel rolls.
    http://i.imgur.com/14XAgCt.jpg
    
    
• She also finds data chips which contain a flight simulator. She is so driven to master flight that she pushes herself and pushes herself. Starting out, she couldn't even take off without crashing. Through crazy determination and time there's nothing the flight simulator can't throw at her that she cannot do.
  
  
  • Source (from "Before the Awakening"): http://i.imgur.com/TmuySPQ.png
    
    
• She has been on-board the Millennium Falcon before. She used to sneak onto not only the Millennium Falcon, but all of Unkar's other ships he had docked and did this frequently. Who knows what she did on it, but it explains how she is so familiar with the Millennium Falcon and knows how to repair it.
  
  
  • Source (from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"): http://i.imgur.com/LmqarJF.png
    
    
    Other observations
    
    
• Rey has been stranded on Jakku for quite some time and has to scavenge as a means to eat. She scavenges for parts from downed Imperial wreckage. In doing so, she develops her technological know-how. To be able to know what will get her more "portions" she needed to know what was valuable. In order to learn how to get these parts, she had to learn how to properly remove them and where they were and possibly what they were used for. This is how she is so mechanically inclined, especially with Imperial/First Order technology.
  
  
• Rey knows how to defend herself because she's had to to survive on her own for so long. It's even demonstrated in the film and even blows Finn's mind when he sees it. So her skills with a lightsaber can easily be taken from this.
  
  
  What does all of this tell you?
  
  
  
• Just because she knows how to fly something doesn't make her the child of Han or Luke.
  
  
• Just because she is familiar with the Millennium Falcon doesn't mean she is Han's daughter.
  
  
• Just because she knows how to fix things and understands technology, doesn't make her a clone/descendant of Anakin.
  
  
• Just because she knows how to defend herself, doesn't mean she was ever trained as a Jedi/Padawan.
  
  
  What does it not tell you?
  
  
  
• Where her Force abilities come from or how she is able to understand and use it.
  
  
  Personal observations
  
  
  
• To me, all of this is more evidence that she is more likely a descendant of Obi-Wan than of a Skywalker/Solo. Why? Well, it shows that she is highly intelligent, focused, determined and patient. This doesn't describe a Skywalker or a Solo in the slightest. We know all too well how impatient and unfocused Anakin and Luke were. None of those things describe Han Solo at all either. Who does it describe? Obi-Wan Kenobi.
  
  
• You might say, well, Obi-Wan didn't like to fly. My response? Who cares what Obi-Wan did/didn't like? Vader chose the Dark Side, Luke didn't. Right there is a simple example of how a person can differ from their ancestors.
  
  
  Additional details
  
  
• Also from /u/kremshawthethird, which is from "Rey's Survival Guide": https://i.imgur.com/UN7c2gw.jpg It shows how the rebel helmet she has and the rebel forces "doll" have nothing to do with Luke Skywalker. It could however, show why she calls herself "Rey".
  
  
• And from /u/jlsm511's post on /r/starwarsleaks: http://imgur.com/a/1BVvH
  This sample from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary": discusses the helmet and doll briefly as well.
  **
  
  Edit: Added links to sources.*

It's $12 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1465438157/

Just ordered mine...https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465438157/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_wOQxwbN756R8V

Sometimes you can get lucky. I ended up with this wonderful little book about alien biology that I still have crammed in a bookshelf somewhere, and I once ended up with one of Teddy Deary's Horrible Histories books, which ended up kindling a livelong love of history. And of course, if all else fails, there's Calvin and Hobbes.

Black Holes

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Incredible-Cross-Sections/dp/1465438157/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0AEBEWJR9BRSQMVFFV0F

> my big complaint is that the colors/pictures inside the books can be super boring

Agreed. I actually returned the one we got and replaced it with Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering. It covers exactly the same concepts, but in a much prettier way and with a kid and a bird to look at!

I have a 4 year old who loves the 11 minute cruise/entry/descent/landing video from JPL on Youtube.
He wanted me to make a booklet to take for childcare news - here it is if anyone else's 4/5/6 year olds would get a kick out of it: Curiosity Picture Book
(6MB)
Eleven pages of pictures and short sentences about about the journey to Mars by Curiosity.

Get it on your iPad/Kindle too - it should be free shortly if I sorted out the Kindle promotion thing properly.

From a "how do you build it" point of view, this is a great book:

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Rockets-Down-Earth-Science/dp/1457182920/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=make%3A+rockets&qid=1570893860&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQ1pORFY3TzM2UFc0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODQ4ODIxMTdFVFExN1U0UjBNRSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzE2ODg5OE9UTTY4NktBRlZWJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Should you get into high power Rocketry, there's a similar book for high power.

It's a fantastic hobby. I've been launching smaller rockets since I was 10 or so (dad was an engineer, and I've become one as well). Start out small, take your time, learn as you go...it's good stuff.

I remember buying this at a book fair in elementary school. I think it might be the one you're looking for. Amazon lets you preview the first few pages.

Pretty sure its from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Crosssections EDIT: Nope, sorry.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Incredible-Cross-Sections/dp/1465438157

We have a couple from this series: Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering! (Baby Loves Science) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580895417/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_NgUzzb21803A7

https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Explore-Uranus-Space-Launch/dp/0836881346

The Baby University including Baby Loves Rocket Science (https://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Science-Babies-Baby-University/dp/1492656259/) and Baby Loves including Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering (https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Loves-Aerospace-Engineering-Science/dp/1580895417/) books might be good.

It's from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross Sections. Not sure about the isbn. But here's an amazon link.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Incredible-Cross-Sections/dp/1465438157

Definitely worth it. A lot of interesting info on the ships and some fantastic illustrations and stills from the film.

The Time and Space of Uncle Albert is quite well done, I feel. There are a couple of sequels too.

http://www.starwars.com/databank

That's a free resource. You can also buy:

• http://www.amazon.ca/Star-Wars-Complete-Vehicles-Publishing/dp/1465408746
  
  
• http://www.amazon.ca/Star-Wars-Awakens-Incredible-Cross-Sections/dp/1465438157
  
  

I'd recently made a similar post elsewhere, so I'll go ahead and copy that below. In addition to that, another thing my four year old and I have done is to make a scale-distance solar system on the sidewalk using chalk. Look up the distances of planets in AU, draw the Sun, and then get walking--one large step = one AU. Don't worry about properly scaling the planet sizes themselves because then everything would be tiny. Feel free to include fun details like the asteroid belt / Ceres, large moons, dwarf planets, etc. And at the very end, Voyager. Its amazing to see how far out that one has gone!

So many good books to choose from! Examples:

• Moon's First Friends
  
  
• The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal
  
  
• Hello World - Moon Landing
  
  
• First Big Book of Space
  
  
• There's No Place Like Space
  
  
• A Place for Pluto
  
  Other book recommendations here: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2018/space-books-kids.html
  
  Looking through a telescope is another fun activity you can do. But please don't bother with a "kids telescope" - those are basically toys, are difficult to use, and barely help in seeing even the Moon. The smallest real telescope is around a 4.5" - 5" reflector. This will obviously be too large for a 4 year old to operate, but with your help he will be able to see things first-hand. If you are unfamiliar with the sky, free apps like Stellarium or Sky Safari (iOS) can guide you where to look. Jupiter and Saturn are currently out in the night sky.
  
  View the International Space Station! See here for when the ISS will be making a pass over your area, and explain what he is seeing!
  
  Follow current space events! This can include watching rocket launches (SpaceX does a great job with webcasting these) or NASA/ESA science missions (Mars 2020 launches next year, and those landings are always very exciting).

My daughter loves space. She's been incredibly helpful during this stressful time of late, and I really appreciate how wonderful and supportive she's been. I'm thinking of someone else today!

Ezpz mat and silicone bibs with a pocket

Baseball hat: He has really thin hair and pale skin. Since he’s became obsessed with baseball hats, I don’t need to put sunscreen on his head

Balls: little balls, big balls, textured balls, light balls like a beach ball

Inventa sleep sack with vents. We live in Southern California and need a sleep sack so he won’t climb out of the crib, but it gets too hot with many sleep sacks. This one has vents that can be zipped open to allow airflow.

Sorting toys.

Books: some favorites are here, here, and here

Michael Collins and his fellow CM pilots probably have the record.

Incidentally, this is a terrific book:
http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Went-Side-Moon/dp/0811840077

This book is a pretty awesome ELI5 for Einstein's theories of relativity, if anyone's interested.

My friend purchased this for my daughter:
https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Loves-Aerospace-Engineering-Science/dp/1580895417

http://www.amazon.com/The-Man-Went-Side-Moon/dp/0811840077/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

This is a really odd, beautiful children's book on Michael Collins. Actually, great for any age.

If you want a book to help get your head around special relativity, try The Time and Space of Uncle Albert. It is written for kids, has no maths, and is incredibly insightful - after two years of a physics degree I re-read it and found it was still helpful in building my understanding!

I'm right there with you. I'm a bit old school as well. If they print it, I'll buy it. Goes for comics, novels, and even other books that aren't "novels". I like getting the Incredible Cross Sections books and the Galactic Maps type books. They're really cool!

How about this kid's book? Thanks for doing this totally random contest! =] Or This kid's book It's called Pirates Love Underpants =] Who doesn't want a book called Pirates Love Underpants?

The real "awe" is in the truth. A man clapping his hands is shit compared to what actually happened. Check it out sometime: The Big Bang for Kids

That one is ages 7+, so it's a good place to start for the religious.

Although age 4-6, here is a book about the big bang

I definitely like Kylo more than Rey. I'm super HAPPY with the entire cast including Rey. But my heart has always been with the bad guys. I knew I was going to love Kylo the most the moment I saw him. In fact the moment I saw him I looked at my boyfriend and said "You're costuming that." like he didn't have an option, I'm making him a Kylo and he's going to be mine and that's that!

But I LOVE the point you brought up that this movie really makes you sympathize with the bad guys and I loved that. You feel for Finn who is freaked out by the power and cruelty of the first order and you actually feel for Kylo who is struggling between light and dark. Watching the promos and getting hyped, I never imagined I would feel for Kylo. I assumed I'd sit there and think he was amazing but I didn't think I'd connect with him, it was actually kind of nice! I'm circle jerking, I know, I can't help it.

Here's a list of shit you need to pick up:

The visual dictionary

The Art of Star Wars the Force Awakens

And you mentioned having a book with layouts of the death star and such so you may like Incredible Cross Sections.

And from what EVERYONE I know has been telling me, The Force Awakens novelization is a must read if you want juicy little details that weren't made crystal clear in the movie!

Also, if you are not reading the comics. STOP. RIGHT. NOW. AND. READ. THEM!!

In order of priority:

Darth Vader

Star Wars

Princess Leia

Shattered Empire

And read Kanan if you're a Rebels fan. I HAVE the comic I just haven't read that one yet!

But no seriously that Darth Vader comic. The stuff that happens. UGH. NERDGASM. After reading them and re-watching the movies in preparation for TFA I fell in love with the originals all over again. It was like that fresh awesome new love I had for them the first time! So good!

I like the analysis, the scum ship could be the Quad Jumper: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/9194w9oTJ4L.jpg

As seen in the TFA Cross Sections book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1465438157?redirect=true&ref_=s9_simh_gw_p14_d1_i1

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Incredible-Cross-Sections/dp/1465438157/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451526514&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+cross+sections

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Space

National Geographic Kids Ultimate Space Atlas

National Geographic Kids: Space Encyclopedia

Go For Launch by Abby Garrett

National Geographic put out an Atlas of Our Universe with imagined aliens living on other planets in our solar system. Here's a picture - https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IklWeSFkdNY/Vv06Pk4V3fI/AAAAAAAAF8k/K0uJXC74cSo5tb_pK7ntqUqVro2O-0sbw/s1600/OU3-MarsAndEuropa.jpg

There's also this Alien Worlds book - https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Worlds-Extraterrestrial-National-Geographic/dp/1426311109

A few more choices here - https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/78568/looking-for-a-1980s-childrens-book-about-life-on-other-planets

[It is on Amazon in the US] (http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Incredible-Cross-Sections/dp/1465438157/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=17ZVXNZJ9V63XHNY7VRE)