Exploring Space

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

This seventh volume in the Starting with Space series is designed to be
used within the school curriculum. The book contains facts, experiments,
and crafts to make, as well as stories and legends. The language,
contents, and illustrations are age-appropriate.

The book is divided into four sections: “Searching from Earth,”
“Blasting into Space,” “Exploring the Solar System,” and
“Discovering the Universe.” Each section is made up of
question-and-answer text, with “Try it” activities interspersed. The
questions are usually brief: “What is a space probe?” “Will people
ever live in space?” The answers are 50 to 100 words, long enough to
include a number of facts. All of the “Try it” activities require
commonly available materials.

There is not as much Canadian content as one might expect in this book.
Astronauts Marc Garneau and Roberta Bondar are not mentioned. The
Canadarm, while shown, is just described as the shuttle’s robotic arm.
Apart from that, Exploring Space is a good introductory book.
Recommended.