Paper Moon | Books About Space!
Shaper/Caper's Paper Moon, an outer-space dance adventure for children, is back touring in venues across Scotland until 26th November 2023! As part of our mission to inspire our little audience members to shoot for the stars, Shaper/Caper have put together a list of out-of-this-world titles for young children and babies.
Did your wee one love blasting off on a trip through the stars with Poppy and Peppy, and now can't get enough of everything space? From lost toys meeting aliens, to siblings bonding over the night sky, these educational and entertaining books aimed at children ages five and under are a brilliant follow-on to the Paper Moon performance.
If you're up for supporting an independent Scottish bookshop with your little ones' reading habits, you can find a fab list of recommendations here.
And if you'd rather have them delivered to your door, The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh offer a fantastic online ordering service, which you can find here.
The Books
Peekaboo Moon by Camilla Reid
Count down to bedtime with peekaboo sliders, a gentle rhyming text and surprise mirror ending in this delightful book for babies and toddlers. Connecting with faces and playing peekaboo is one of the first games that babies play. Even the very youngest of children will love this delightful interactive book – and want to read it again and again.
Moon by Patricia Hegarty and Britta Teckentrup
Have you ever wondered why the moon shines in the night-time sky?
As the moon waxes and wanes above, the world below is full of busy night-time creatures; from turtles laying their eggs on white sandy beaches, to migrating birds using the moon to navigate their way to sunnier climes. As you turn the pages, little ones can see the moon change shape as it goes through the lunar cycle.
Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola
Meet hilarious, science-mad chatterbox, Rocket - she's going to be the greatest astronaut, star-catcher, space-traveller that has ever lived! But... can she convince her big brother to stop looking down at his phone and start LOOKING UP at the stars?
Bursting with energy and passion about science and space, this heart-warming, inspirational picture book will have readers turning off their screens and switching on to the outside world.
Sing Along With Me! Hey Diddle Diddle by Yu-hsuan Huang
The funfair has come to town, and everyone’s joining in the fun . . . the cat, the dish, the spoon and even the cow jumping over the moon! A cute and engaging retelling of this classic nursery rhyme.
This adorable Sing-Along board book comes with free instrumental and vocal versions of the nursery rhyme, as well as plenty of bright illustrations to appeal to babies and toddlers.
There's an Alien in Your Book by Tom Fletcher and Greg Abbott
An adorable alien has crash-landed in YOUR book! UH OH!
In this interactive story, little readers will need to help Alien back up into space, by jiggling, bouncing and turning their book upside down -- because aliens don't belong here on Earth... do they? Packed full of interactive fun, this book has a gentle message about openness, acceptance and inclusion that will speak to the very youngest readers.
Meet The Planets by Caryl Hart and Bethan Woollvin
Zoooooooom! We're off on an exciting space adventure in our rocket to meet all the planets of the solar system.
Join in with the rhymes and spot all the smiley-faced, friendly planets, from shimmering Saturn to mighty Mars. Little ones will have a blast (and be back in time for bed!) in this striking, read-aloud, story-led picture book. Combining STEM learning with a rhyming twist, it's perfect for all would-be astronauts!
Toys in Space by Mini Grey
That summer night, the toys were left outside. . . . For the very first time, the Wonderdoll, the helpful wind-up robot, the thoughtful green dinosaur, and the rest of their plucky gang lie in the grass, gazing up at the stars. But one star seems brighter than the rest. As it grows bigger and bigger, the toys realize it may not be a star at all! Soon they're venturing into the unknown, traveling by spaceship, where they meet a lonely alien in need of help, and some friends.
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
Once there was a boy, and that boy loved stars very much. So much that he decided to catch one of his very own. Every night he watched the stars in the sky from his bedroom window and dreamed of how he could be their friend and how they could play hide-and-seek together. But how? It is enough to make a boy want to give up! Yet sometimes we discover things aren't where, or what, we expect them to be.