WHEN I’M AN ASTRONAUT

INSPIRATIONAL CAREERS FOR KIDS

AUTHOR SAMANTHA PILLAY ILLUSTRATOR HARRY AVEIRA PUBLISHER SAMANTHA PILLAY PRICE £15.99 / $18.99 RELEASE OUT NOW

The dreams of young children are greatly shaped by what they are taught about and exposed to. Quite often, children are less aware of the vast possibilities available to them in STEAM. This book is one in a series explaining some of the key qualities and activities involved in these diverse professions. The large illustrations in this book depict the truly fascinating and unique nature of a job away from Earth. Each volume in the series follows a character with different characteristics, and this one features a young girl. Exploring the life of an astronaut through the dreams of a female main character achieves a vital purpose in preventing the long-held association of astronauts being solely male. The book helps anyone with an interest in space to imagine themselves in that role too.

When I’m an Astronaut includes an appropriate balance of detailed aspects of the job with simplistic descriptions written in a way four to eight year olds can understand. It mentions the core subjects used in astronaut training that they will recognise from school, presents illustrations of the underwater exercises that astronauts perform in pools on Earth, spacewalking and even walking on Mars, opening their eyes to the possibilities their future holds. Any young reader will benefit from reading the books in this series to formulate their own dreams through a light-hearted and visual story.