The Big Beyond: The Story of Space Travel

by James Carter, Aaron Cushley (Illustrations)

The mysteries of space have intrigued us since ancient times. Early observers named the constellations as a way to keep track of the starry patterns in the night sky. Through the years, astronomers discovered planets, moons, and many other objects. As technology improved, the dream of physically exploring space became reality, and space shuttles blasted into the world above our heads. Where will we go next?

Genres: Picture Books, Space, Nonfiction, Childrens, Science, Poetry, Astronomy

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2019

Reviews

[Mr. Danny Arévalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter loves space and rockets so she absolutely loved this book! The illustrations had so much color and were just as interactive as the story itself.
I will be adding this to my list of books to read for my upcoming YouTube channel this summer!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool book to introduce the basics of space to kids! The illustrations and amount of text would work for a preschool storytime at our library, but I think conceptually there are some elements that are too complicated (dates and moments in history, tons of space terminology, etc). Probably would be better for 1-2 graders.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book about the history of space, astronauts and rockets.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction to space travel for young listeners, first published in 2019 in Great Britain.

Starting with a countdown, Carter delivers a survey of the history of space travel -- from early man to stargazers who named constellations to Gallileo to flight on earth to rockets to men on the moon to the International Space Station, ending with the question: Could it be you (that will be an astronaut)?
Aaron Cushley's mixed media artwork is primitive and feel "right" for this story. Bright colors and simple shapes get the point across in this story that is filled with diverse characters. My only quibble is everyone (except Galileo) looks contemporary; the early man and the stargazers are wearing tennis shoes. The book closes with an acrostic poem about rockets.

A delight from start to finish for ages 4-7.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rhyming text suited for preschoolers gets mixed up with complicated concepts more age-appropriate for older children; dark illustrations further obscure the sketchy timeline.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The big beyond - James Carter
A great introduction to space for children as young as 2.
It is written in an engaging and exciting way (told as a story) whilst providing lots of key facts and information about space travel
Able to address misconceptions from a young age before they stem into big ones.
Use of the page layout turning to a two page spread when the rocket launches.
Lots of illustrations to help with the more complex vocabulary
Suitable for a large range of ages
Lots of basic information to build upon in further research.

[Evianrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to my son today (1 year old) and he was glued to the pages. This book is educational (talking about rockets, and what mankind has done so far in space) along with cute illustrations. It rhymes pretty well. Might have to grab a home copy of this for my son, as this was a library copy.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

For JE 629.4

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite brief introduction to space travel for younger readers.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice rhyming introduction to space for younger readers or listeners.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great picture book that briefly chronicles the history of space travel.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical and informative. Sparks the childs imagination about space travel while giving a brief history.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

better for ST than just general use.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

great for grade school crafternoon!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought that this was a beautiful introduction to space and space travel. Would like to try it out in a storytime and see how it goes.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this one wasn't in rhyme.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction for kids

[Kathleen Meacham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and at the same time informative/factual, yet fun. Very good rhyming/cadence.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the history of space travel with cute illustrations. Child still adamant about staying on earth 😂

[Wylaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, but not dumbed down.

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for teaching children about space and the real sorry of what happened

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a playful way to introduce basic space travel facts, a solid rhythm and rhyme

[劉凍青 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and entertaining introduction to space travel for kids. The rhyming didn't always work, but otherwise a good, age-appropriate book.

[Cathy Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8 year old really loves space and gave this book 5 stars.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book and it was fun to read!

[Christine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mysteries of space have intrigued us since ancient times. Early observers named the constellations as a way to keep track of the starry patterns in the night sky. Through the years, astronomers discovered planets, moons, and many other objects. As technology improved, the dream of physically exploring space became reality, and space shuttles blasted into the world above our heads. Where will we go next?

[Bonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture books about space that rhyme are rare, but this one had some excellent verse about the history of space discovery and travel