I Want to Be an Astronaut

by Byron Barton

From picture-book master Byron Barton, this is the perfect story for young readers who love outer space and want to know more about how NASA astronauts do their job.

Once in orbit, the astronauts get a taste of ready-to-eat food, experience zero gravity, go for space walks, and even fix a satellite. It's fun to fly aboard the shuttle...and then come back to earth.

Byron Barton's signature bright, graphic artwork and straightforward text is a perfect match for the preschool crowd.

Genres: Picture Books, Space, Storytime, Childrens, Science, Adventure, Transport

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Byron Barton is the author and illustrator of many picture books for young children. He has been honored by ALA, SLJ, and Reading Rainbow. He worked as an animator for CBS before he started creating children's books. He is currently making his illustrations completely on the computer.

Reviews

[Charlotte Osborn-bensaada · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4 year old loves this very simple book. For me as an adult I wondered about its very simplicity, but my son was able to take these pictures and imagine a world flying the Shuttle. I did not have the heart to tell him it was being mothballed and who knows when we will return to space.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for your little astronaut in training!

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a good book to "launch" a library pre-school story time!

We began with our usual "Hello Everybody" action song.
--clap our hands
--drum our legs
--pat our cheeks
--reach for the stars
Good job everybody! Can you look at the stamp on your hands and tell me what story time is about today? (Yes, we stamp each child's hand as they arrive--they love this). Rocket ships! Hey, look at this book!

Hold up the book and read the first page
"I want to be an astronaut and fly on a..." what does that look like (children respond). Our storyteller uses lots of DIALOGIC READING (she asks a lot of questions and the children eagerly respond).
--what is that?
--what are they looking at?
--did you know that astronauts eat special food in space?
--would you want to walk around in space?
--did you know astronauts do all that stuff?
--are they back on earth?
--what's that a picture of?
--how many of you want to be an astronaut?
--does that look like fun?

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple book with large cartoonish illustrations about astronauts going up to space. Read this book to start our Outer Space storytime and used illustrations to show what a rocket looked like when we sang "I'm a Little Rocket" afterwards. Okay book for preschoolers, would also be a great book for younger kids.

[White House Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a simple book that shows younger kids what it's like to be an astronaut. It goes through some of the tasks that they do while in outer space. The illustrations are bold, colorful, and detailed enough to show what outer space is like. This is a quick read but can easily be extended by discussing what all astronauts do, the things they wear and eat, and more.

[Sally Staples · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice book to introduce young children to space and being an astronaut. The vocabulary is perfect for introducing. The illustrations are colorful and large. Great book for the young learner.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to read this at my space story time today. I really like this one because it shows a diverse crew of astronauts. Boys, girls, and children of all colors will see themselves on this space mission.

[Jessica]

Best enjoyed in space!

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to do a last minute Toddler Time for E. Glancing through the stack she had ready, I decided to use this. Easy text. Colorful illustrations.

6/8/16 Space theme. Went well.

[Zaidee · Rating 4 out of 5]

simple but quinn loved it since she wants to be an astronaut (at least today).

[Courtney Ingraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would use this in my classroom when talking about what you want to be when you grow up. I could also use this book to introduce the section about outer space and the planets.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very simple book about wanting to be an astronaut and what they would get to do if they were.

[Jacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

curricular connection: simple, informative

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some kids want to be an astronaut after reading. B

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps we all have wondered what it would like to be an Astronaut. This book follows a young fellow who dreams of becoming part of "the crew," eat ready-to-eat food, sleep where there is no gravity, fix satellites, and build factories that orbit. Even though the images are simple, they show the readers a lot about what being in space might look like and how tiny humans and rockets are in our galaxy compared to the earth. The colors were so bold, with sharp lining, that the illustrations are hard to miss. I enjoyed this book primarily because readers take a vivid visual journey and might receive more information through images of what an astronaut's lifestyle consists of and all the kinds of things they partake in.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect length for circle time or for a beginning reader to read on own. It is good for showing to a group with one simple phrase and concept for each full double page. The illustrations are bold, with thick black outlines and basic bright colours. The people are diverse in colour and gender. There are good take off points for further learning so that the scope of the book is not limited. For example, one could further talk about shuttles, satellites, orbits, zero gravity, etc. For an art extension, children can explore drawing thick black lines depicting simple shapes and forms and colouring in with basic colours. I highly recommend this book.

[Michelle Gath she-her · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant and basic pictures tell the tale of a child who wishes to be an astronaut. To be apart of a crew - have a sense of belonging. The book gives details of the life in space - eating meals and being in zero gravity. The child would like to be of help and fix satellites and build a factory in orbit. This book is for very young children - preschool age. It might peek their imagination of being an astronaut and it is a simple way for a young child to begin to develop an idea about astronauts.

[Dolly Bigelow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a favourite in our home that we have been reading to our son since he was just a few weeks old. The bold colours and contrast capture the attention of a newborn baby, but this book can carry well up into the early reading years. It is simple and calm, with unique and simple illustrations. I personally think this makes a great early reader book because of the short sentences.

This was one of my husbands favourite books as a child, and he is so happy to pass it on to our son. Our library would be sadly lacking without this title!

[Kalynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of my brother, who wanted to be an astronaut when he was younger. It also reminded me of the time I created a classroom poster featuring all of the "when I grow up's" from my 5th graders, and how I would often look at it for lesson connections. Targeted for preK-2, this story features the future dreams of a young child, and the different aspects of astronaut life in space. I enjoyed the relatable illustrations and how the child was the astronaut in the pictures.

[Ginelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short book with easy text and simple illustrations. It is basically a short narration of what someone wants to do when they become an astronaut.

I like that this book follows a bit of a storyline more than some of Barton’s other books do, but there are still giant gaps that have to be explained for little readers. Also, the way the text is broken up, it feels like it should rhyme or have more distinct rhythm, which it doesn’t so it feels off.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story and illustrations are very simple, which makes it a quick and easy read for story time. It might get little ones thinking a little bit about what it would be like to be an astronaut. However, it's not funny, it doesn't rhyme, there's no twist, there's nothing very science-y... it's very, very basic. Which sometimes works, and sometimes is just filler.

[David]

Byron Barton's illustrations are so direct depicting very specific components, like the sleeping chambers of a space shuttle, that captivate my toddler's imagination. My toddler asked "When can we go to space?". I like reading any of Barton's books with a really cold tone because it suits the nearly expressionless quality of the people.

[Jessica Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dislike overly simplistic children's books, so my review may be bias in that regard. When the illustrations AND writing are so simplistic it really pushes me over the edge. If my child wanted to pick out this book and read it to him or herself, fine. But I'll not be wasting my time on this book again.

[Ariane Beatrice Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is such a great book to motivate my kids (students) to be engaged in our lesson about universe!

After reading this book, though it may seem quite simple, my kids were all attentive and curious about the universe and being an astronaut!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accidentally pulled out to read on Moon Day 2020. How appropriate!

A simple picture book about being an astronaut. The illustrations are bright bold graphics (and they show a space shuttle, so perhaps a bit dated).

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

0-8 yrs. Simple sentence on each page with thick vivid illustrations. My 7 year old read it to the 3 year old and they both enjoyed it. Short enough to keep the attention of preschoolers.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would work for storytime, but I'm just not a fan. Don't like the illustrations and it is not very exciting.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

good space book for tots, but not as fun as some of his other books

[Sarah's Storytime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Start of Toddler and Preschool selection

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used for a "space" themed family storytime on 6/19/18. It's a bit dry, but the kids did agree it would be super cool to be an astronaut, and they loved the illustrations that showed Earth from space.