The Day I Had a Spaceship

by Ashley Wall, Vaughan Duck (Illustrator)

Blast off on a heartwarming, space-filled adventure with Luke and his friends!

In The Day I Had a Spaceship, Luke, Emma, Mikey, and Noah discover just how far their imaginations can take them—straight to the Moon and beyond! When their toys come to life, the backyard becomes a launch pad and the four friends find themselves on a cosmic journey filled with challenges, surprises, and opportunities to help one another. Together, they learn that kindness and cooperation are the most powerful tools in the universe.

The Day I Had a Spaceship is the fourth installment of the The Day I Had... series by award-winning educator and author Ashley Wall. The series of picture books combines fun storytelling with valuable lessons in social-emotional development. With lively, colorful illustrations by Vaughan Duck, it’s a joyful read for home or classroom.

This book Imagination and creativity through playful adventureTeamwork, kindness, and problem-solvingEarly literacy and emotional intelligenceTailor-made for fans of imaginative picture books that celebrate teamwork, friendship, and big dreams, this book is perfect for educators, parents, and caregivers seeking meaningful stories to share with little ones.

Great Children ages 3–7Young readers who love space, spaceships, or adventureTeaching inclusion, empathy, and perseveranceGifts, classrooms, story time, or bedtime reading

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Ashley Omnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids (ages 2 and 5) absolutely loved this book! It’s such a fun, imaginative adventure following Emma, Noah, Logan, and their adorable dog, Mikey, on a day trip to the moon. The story is packed with excitement, teamwork, and friendship — all told in a way that young readers can easily connect with.

I especially appreciate how the book weaves in gentle lessons about problem-solving and working together. The cartoon-like illustrations are full of humor and color — my 2-year-old giggled at the silly moments, and my 5-year-old was captivated by the space car and moon games!

It’s become a favorite in our bedtime rotation. A wonderful pick for any little dreamer who l

[Kelly Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Day I Had a Spaceship, written by Ashley Wall and illustrated by Vaughan Duck, is a fun and bright tribute to the imaginations of children, mixed with actual facts about our solar system.
The children in the book blast off to the moon in order to help an alien team whose ship has broken down. It is a story of the importance of helping others, making new friends, and working together to solve a problem. The illustrations are as fun as the story, colourful, and sure to grab the reader's imagination.
The book is sure to become a favourite on many a family's bookshelf!
Thank you for the ARC of #TheDayIHadaSpaceship to #NetGalley.

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book! My two girls, ages 5 and 4, love outer space and anything astronomy related. This was such a fun treat to receive from a Goodreads giveaway!

I loved that it worked to expand vocabulary by introducing terms like "gravity" and "craters". It also is a great introduction to building background knowledge because it includes fun facts about the moon! We will revisit this one many more times to come!

[LizNReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3&4yo boys loved this book so much, they asked me to read it again as soon as it ended.
It has some great illustrations, a key message for young kids to work together and cheer each other on, and it’s informative.
A very short story, which will guarantee your LO stays engaged throughout.

Thank you NetGalley, Ashley Wall & MamaBear Books for this eARC.

[Krista McDaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute

Thanks for sharing your story. This was so fun to share with my niece who is obsessed with space. Please continue to share your passion of children’s literature.

[Kay Hertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Readers Will Love This Short Space Adventure!

Overall: 4⭐
Plot/Lesson:° 4📍
Smiles: 3😁
Illustrations: 4🖌️

Suggested Ages:
Read To: Under 5 y/o
Read By: (Very) Early Readers

Re-Read Requests: 3

A^ & C* have been lucky enough to explore the Udvar Hazy Center, National Air & Space Museum, and California Science Center which has really heightened their love of all things space and sky!

So if your little one is also already interested in anything to do with space, stars, and rocketships, this book just perfect for any little future astronaut!

I do want to say this appears targeted to a slightly younger audience so “A” wasn’t quite as interested in the story as “C” who has already requested re-reads. Friendship, encouragement, and troubleshooting are all covered in this short little story. I would have preferred just the tiniest bit more exploration of struggle to overcome challenges but I can also appreciate that again, this is a younger target audience and probably limited to words per page or perhaps general attention span of our littlest readers/listeners.

Another great addition to the “The Day I Had” series by Ms. Wall!

Thank you to Ashley Wall, Vaughan Duck, MamaBear Media, & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
All opinions are our own.

NOTES:
° = Our Plot/Lesson rating is how well the kiddos picked up on the morals/lessons learned or well received the facts were.
^ = A, reads at 2-3rd grade level, voracious reader
* = C, knows her letters, but memorizes stories well!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with my dog Bobo, and friends Emma, Noah, and Mikey we used the spaceship in the yard to answer a summons to go to the moon and help someone repair their spaceship. We fixed their spaceship and then had some fun riding in the Lunar Rover, then playing Spaceball. On the way home we recited the planet names as they went by and returned home to tell mom and dad all about the adventure. Terrific story with fun illustrations by Vaughan Duck that are imaginative, and FUN.
Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital Galley on PDF from MamaBear Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles via NetGalley. *****review #NetGalley #bookbub #goodreads #storygraph @librarythingofficial @waterstones #kobo
#TheDayIHadaSpaceship by @authorashleywall #SeriesthedayIHadbk4 and illustrated by @vaughanduck_illustrator @mamabear_books @ibpalovesindies @childrensbookcouncil #picturebookart #kidlit #storytelling #picturebook #illustration #imagination #BN #BAM #thriftbooks #storytelling #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #indiebookstoresca #MamaBearBooks #ChildrensBooks #KidsConfidence #ReadToYourKids #DreamBigLittleOne #ImaginationMatters #StorytimeFun #ReadAloud #Imagination #STEMkids #SpaceForKids

[Cathy Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about little kids on an imaginative adventure to the moon. The illustrations are fun, though the kids' facial expressions all seem sort of static throughout. There's a good bit of space vocabulary and facts in the book sure to interest any science-loving young reader. Great book for an early elementary classroom or young child's library.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It kept my daughters attention the entire time we were reading it and she even learned some new things. Shes been carrying her new book all over the house "reading" and it has made this mama happy to see.
If you have littles that love books, I highly recommend you look for this once its released!

[Nitoy Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what the type of book I'm looking for. A simple story but greatly enjoyable. Every kid has this dream of going to space or on to the moon, well this book is about that. An imaginary rescue mission of friends to the moon. Not complicated just what I want to read. The artwork is also amazing. So if you like books that are simple but a delight to read, then this is the one.

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Point Two Stars
Cute lovely fun story
Four friends find that there is a spaceship in their backyard. They find a message for them in the spaceship and that starts a trip to the Moon. What happens there? Cute lovely imaginative story for kids with nice illustrations.

[Diana Wanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Story

I love the concept of kindness and helping others in this book. Such a positive story from beginning to end. Great illustrations and what a fun setting for a children’s book. The story even incorporated some non-fiction elements for kids to learn about outer space.

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be a cute read for kids who are interested in space and/or aliens particularly. There are some great messages about working together and accepting people who are different.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day I Had a Spaceship by Ashley Wall – This was an Amazon freebie. Your little astronaut will think this imaginative adventure is cute! Happy Reading!

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚📚📚📚📚

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this E-book free through Goodreads First Read.

A cute book that has 4 kids flying to spay to help a couple of stranded aliens.