What do you think?
Rate this book
Letters from Space
Astronaut Clayton Anderson spent 152 days in space aboard the International Space Station--and while he didn't mail dozens of letters back to Earth (they would have burned up on reentry!), imagine if he did! These letters from space are full of weird science, wild facts, and outrageous true stories from life in space, complete with hysterical illustrations from Susan Batori. Backmatter includes even more interesting information on space, astronauts, and living among the stars.
32 pages, ebook
Published October 15, 2020
1 person is currently reading
32 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 23, 2021
An entertaining read aloud for k-2 that can launch them into "I want to know more" inquiries.
Anderson writes letters to his mom, his fans, a former science teacher, Mission Control, and more sharing some of what's going on at the Space Station including heads looking "ginormous," spiders weaving crazy webs, and underwear that needs to be thrown in the trash. While sharing the hilarity, Anderson weaves in some facts and then expands on these in the back matter.
Batori's illustrations are charming, adding wit and some fictitious aliens to the mix.
Read this aloud to students for joy and then reread or look again, asking questions like, "Which part is fact? Which part is fiction?" and "What does this make you want to know more about?" Don't skip the two-pages of back matter that explain some of Anderson's concepts further.
PARTNER THIS TEXT - or use it to launch a series of interactive picture book read alouds about working in space and the history of this work including:
*The Boy Who Touched the Stars -- autobio. by José M. Hernandez (in English & Spanish) (Discovery Space Shuttle)
*Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
*Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker
VISIT MY BOOKSHELF "TEXT SET SPACE EXPLORATION" FOR MORE TITLES :)
Anderson writes letters to his mom, his fans, a former science teacher, Mission Control, and more sharing some of what's going on at the Space Station including heads looking "ginormous," spiders weaving crazy webs, and underwear that needs to be thrown in the trash. While sharing the hilarity, Anderson weaves in some facts and then expands on these in the back matter.
Batori's illustrations are charming, adding wit and some fictitious aliens to the mix.
Read this aloud to students for joy and then reread or look again, asking questions like, "Which part is fact? Which part is fiction?" and "What does this make you want to know more about?" Don't skip the two-pages of back matter that explain some of Anderson's concepts further.
PARTNER THIS TEXT - or use it to launch a series of interactive picture book read alouds about working in space and the history of this work including:
*The Boy Who Touched the Stars -- autobio. by José M. Hernandez (in English & Spanish) (Discovery Space Shuttle)
*Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
*Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker
VISIT MY BOOKSHELF "TEXT SET SPACE EXPLORATION" FOR MORE TITLES :)
December 31, 2020
Letters from Space is just as informative and engaging. The illustrations by Susan Batori are full of humor. Kids will laugh out loud as they learn about disposable underwear; food, spiders, and plants in space; and how astronauts fly EVERYWHERE within the space shuttle.
All of this is communicated through fictional letters "home" to friends, young fans, and family. Because of course, no one has perfected receiving mail from space... yet! Here are a few sample days in flight.
FLIGHT DAY 3
In a letter to his mother, Clayton describes his excitement at liftoff.
"It was loud, it was scary, and the entire space shuttle shook like crazy...We went faster and faster, and then--everything went quiet. I started to rise out of my seat. I was weightless!"
FLIGHT DAY 22
In response to a young fan who just got a puppy, Clayton writes,
"We can't have pets in space. It would be neat to have a dog or a cat, but what a mess with no gravity! Where would it go to the bathroom?!"
FLIGHT DAY 45
Clayton takes a spacewalk and tells his brother, "We were out there for over seven hours and I rode on the robotic arm. I was like one of those guys who fix wires on utility poles. But in SPACE! Man, did I have some great views of the Milky Way and the space station!"
FLIGHT DAY 125
Clayton shares his favorite foods in space. I" love to start my meal with a can of stuff they call "appetizing appetizer." It looks kind of like baby food. Yum. After that, I always love a nice can of lamb with vegetables or pork and potatoes. It looks a lot like cat food. Maybe it even smells like cat food But I swear it doesn't taste like cat food."
FLIGHT DAY 134
It turns out that when Clayton was little he used to read Superman comic books. Now that he's in space...he is Superman every day!
FLIGHT DAY 148
Clayton is coming home and he's so excited that he's doing flips in space! He writes to his mother, "The time has flown by up here (ha ha) and life in weightlessness has been really fun."
The book ends with two pages of facts about growing food in space, training to be an astronaut (in a pool!), gravity, teamwork, and lots of other things you didn't know.
A STEAM book, this will be a great addition to the K-3rd grade curriculum. Not only will children learn science facts, but as Astronaut Anderson says, "Kids LOVE THE LETTER FORMAT. It encourages reading AND writing."
By the way, most of the names used in the letters are real people in Clayton's life. It was his way of paying tribute to his teachers, college professors, childhood friends, mission control, and his family.
Go to www.carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com by January 1 and leave a comment to win my copy!
All of this is communicated through fictional letters "home" to friends, young fans, and family. Because of course, no one has perfected receiving mail from space... yet! Here are a few sample days in flight.
FLIGHT DAY 3
In a letter to his mother, Clayton describes his excitement at liftoff.
"It was loud, it was scary, and the entire space shuttle shook like crazy...We went faster and faster, and then--everything went quiet. I started to rise out of my seat. I was weightless!"
FLIGHT DAY 22
In response to a young fan who just got a puppy, Clayton writes,
"We can't have pets in space. It would be neat to have a dog or a cat, but what a mess with no gravity! Where would it go to the bathroom?!"
FLIGHT DAY 45
Clayton takes a spacewalk and tells his brother, "We were out there for over seven hours and I rode on the robotic arm. I was like one of those guys who fix wires on utility poles. But in SPACE! Man, did I have some great views of the Milky Way and the space station!"
FLIGHT DAY 125
Clayton shares his favorite foods in space. I" love to start my meal with a can of stuff they call "appetizing appetizer." It looks kind of like baby food. Yum. After that, I always love a nice can of lamb with vegetables or pork and potatoes. It looks a lot like cat food. Maybe it even smells like cat food But I swear it doesn't taste like cat food."
FLIGHT DAY 134
It turns out that when Clayton was little he used to read Superman comic books. Now that he's in space...he is Superman every day!
FLIGHT DAY 148
Clayton is coming home and he's so excited that he's doing flips in space! He writes to his mother, "The time has flown by up here (ha ha) and life in weightlessness has been really fun."
The book ends with two pages of facts about growing food in space, training to be an astronaut (in a pool!), gravity, teamwork, and lots of other things you didn't know.
A STEAM book, this will be a great addition to the K-3rd grade curriculum. Not only will children learn science facts, but as Astronaut Anderson says, "Kids LOVE THE LETTER FORMAT. It encourages reading AND writing."
By the way, most of the names used in the letters are real people in Clayton's life. It was his way of paying tribute to his teachers, college professors, childhood friends, mission control, and his family.
Go to www.carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com by January 1 and leave a comment to win my copy!
September 23, 2020
Anderson once spent 5 months on a mission in space, and in Letters from Space, he uses letters and written correspondence to both entertain and educate readers about what life is like for an astronaut in space.
Opening with a letter to his mom sent on Flight Day 3 and ending with a letter to Mission Control after he arrived safely back on Earth on Day 152, we get to read fictional letters from Clayton to his mom, his friends, Mission Control, students, his doctors, fans, and more. And while most letters are funny, each teaches the readers something important about what astronauts might actually do and learn on these missions.
For example, did you know that in the first few days of a space mission, your head might swell because your heart pumps too much fluid to your brain because it thinks you're still on Earth? Or did you know that scientists ask astronauts to take pictures of specific things on Earth on various missions, comparing these photographs over time to learn about things like ocean health, soil erosion, deforestation, and city growth? Or that astronauts can't wash their clothes in space, so they wear each item for a certain number of days in a row and then simply throw them away? (Yes, even their underwear...). Anderson even writes about the scientific method and Newton's First Law without making it read like a textbook!
Be sure to spend time reading through the "PS From the Astronaut" pages at the back. Anderson has filled them with lots of interesting information about various stories he included in his letters, such as why scientists are learning about growing food in their spaceships.
A big thank you to Sleeping Bear Press for sharing this book with our family in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions of this book are my own.
Opening with a letter to his mom sent on Flight Day 3 and ending with a letter to Mission Control after he arrived safely back on Earth on Day 152, we get to read fictional letters from Clayton to his mom, his friends, Mission Control, students, his doctors, fans, and more. And while most letters are funny, each teaches the readers something important about what astronauts might actually do and learn on these missions.
For example, did you know that in the first few days of a space mission, your head might swell because your heart pumps too much fluid to your brain because it thinks you're still on Earth? Or did you know that scientists ask astronauts to take pictures of specific things on Earth on various missions, comparing these photographs over time to learn about things like ocean health, soil erosion, deforestation, and city growth? Or that astronauts can't wash their clothes in space, so they wear each item for a certain number of days in a row and then simply throw them away? (Yes, even their underwear...). Anderson even writes about the scientific method and Newton's First Law without making it read like a textbook!
Be sure to spend time reading through the "PS From the Astronaut" pages at the back. Anderson has filled them with lots of interesting information about various stories he included in his letters, such as why scientists are learning about growing food in their spaceships.
A big thank you to Sleeping Bear Press for sharing this book with our family in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions of this book are my own.
September 15, 2020
This is a clever idea for a book. Former astronaut Clayton Anderson serves up a collection of letters that he or an astronaut like him might have written to folks back on Earth while he was in space. Over the course of the 152 days he was traveling he describes the launch and flight, his meals, how he spends his time, space walks, and clothing issues, among other matters both practical and sometimes amusing. He even ponders what it might be like for cats or dogs to be along for the ride and describes the adjustments necessary to get used to being without gravity. Clearly, Anderson has a good sense of humor and an awareness of his young audience. The colorful, often amusing illustrations that accompany the letters fit the mood of the book quite well as readers learn interesting facts about space travel while also being entertained by Anderson's letters to his mother, his brother, Mission Control, a former teacher, and various school children. His distinct voice comes through in every missive. How cool would it be if we really could send letters through space?
June 28, 2021
“Keep turning pages into dreams.” —Clayton
Written for more advanced readers, this story chronicles the activities of a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station in a series of letters written to Earthlings. The letters contain lots of fascinating details, and the illustrations offer plenty of fun stuff to look at for younger listeners who might get bored by the text. Endnotes provide more factoids on space, astronauts, life on the space station, and the challenges of making one’s home and workplace among the stars.
Written for more advanced readers, this story chronicles the activities of a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station in a series of letters written to Earthlings. The letters contain lots of fascinating details, and the illustrations offer plenty of fun stuff to look at for younger listeners who might get bored by the text. Endnotes provide more factoids on space, astronauts, life on the space station, and the challenges of making one’s home and workplace among the stars.
December 10, 2020
Young readers can learn a little bit about what astronaut life is like from reading these excerpts of letters written by Clayton Anderson, who lived on the International Space Station for over 150 days! Upbeat and interesting!
Read
July 15, 2021A little more advanced than what I'm looking for, but what a great peek into what an astronaut's day-to-day is like in space. Would be really fun in an elementary classroom paired with YouTube videos of astronauts going through their routines!
August 28, 2021
Loved this book. I disagree with the 4-8 age suggestion inside the book; I believe all elementary children can enjoy and learn from this book. Teachers, this would be great book when studying space, letter writing, communication.
April 17, 2021
Good for older kids
July 21, 2022
Great fun.
A wonderful sampling of what life is like in space.
A wonderful sampling of what life is like in space.
April 25, 2021
A cute look at life on the space station, blending real experiences with fictional letters and humorous illustrations (including aliens!).
I never thought about having drinking water available in the space suit for long spacewalk missions. Learned something!
And trashing dirty laundry. Is it seriously trash-trashed or just cleaned later? Incinerated? Compacted? Idk.
I never thought about having drinking water available in the space suit for long spacewalk missions. Learned something!
And trashing dirty laundry. Is it seriously trash-trashed or just cleaned later? Incinerated? Compacted? Idk.
September 25, 2021
A DELIGHTFUL and chock full of fascinating facts picture book by the real life astronaut Clayton Anderson, describing what it is like to work on the International Space Station.
His energy, excitement, love and hope glow and bounce off the page - you can tell he loves his work and wants to share that joy with everyone.
February 6, 2023
This was such a fun read for the adults and kids in my house! This was actually written by an astronaut who spent 152 days on the International Space Station. And it’s full of fun little gems like: “Dear Mission Control: Just wanted to let you know I’m on day three of my third pair of underwear. I know I’m supposed to wear them for four days before I throw them into the trash.”
October 13, 2020
Very interesting book written by former astronaut all about his time aboard the International space station. The book is filled with space facts and experiences he had told in letter form. Audience would be older preschoolers and K-3 level. Would be good in a K-5 space program.
November 14, 2020
Cute concept. I definitely learned a few things about the life of an astronaut. I didn’t really care for the illustration style, especially the noses. I didn’t like how there was a alien in the book where everything else was factual. It is pretty cool that this was written by a former astronaut.
December 18, 2020
Clayton answers letters from kids about living in the space station. Things like how often they can change their underwear, what animals and insects they have taken to the space station and what plants they try to grow in space.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2020
An astronaut on a long space recounts the memorable and hilarious parts of his journey through letters. Nice real life facts at end. Elementary and up
January 12, 2021
Learned some interesting (and novel) things about space! Though I wish they would have omitted the "little green alien" drawings throughout.
January 28, 2021
Was lucky to participate in a read aloud by Clayton Anderson.
March 20, 2021
Fun resource for getting kids thinking about life in space.
July 12, 2023
Great book for kids. Contains some interesting things about space.
July 13, 2023
Real-life astronaut Clayton Anderson definitely has the standing to write this book of fictional letters from space. No wonder his picture book is both finely detailed and studded with out-of-this-world humor.
Read and learn, children of all ages. For example:
Spacewalking can really tire you out.
It was hard in a thinking kind of way.
You must be careful and think about every single thing.
Mistakes are bad and we don't get any do-overs.
Clayton Anderson's powerful text is well matched with the zany-yet-believable pictures by Susan Batori. FIVE STARS!!!!!
Read and learn, children of all ages. For example:
Spacewalking can really tire you out.
It was hard in a thinking kind of way.
You must be careful and think about every single thing.
Mistakes are bad and we don't get any do-overs.
Clayton Anderson's powerful text is well matched with the zany-yet-believable pictures by Susan Batori. FIVE STARS!!!!!
August 6, 2025
Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson is a memoir and great book for readers at a 3rd to 5th grade level. I think the fun letters and lessons that Clayton writes, that he couldn’t actually mail back to earth without them catching on fire at re-entry, might inspire children to be interested in science and even a few future astronauts. This book is written in an easy to understand format and the illustrations by Susan Batori are fun and engaging.
September 22, 2021
Cool concept for kids who love space and dream of being astronauts. My big problem is that the art includes a 3-eyed alien in a lot of the pictures. If the letters are about a real experience, this falsehood is distracting.
October 9, 2020
You are going to LOVE this book! I promise!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews