The Life of an Astronaut

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

All of the books in the Eye on the Universe series follow the formula of
fact-filled text, lots of brightly colored photographs and
illustrations, a glossary, and an index.

The Life of an Astronaut is a thorough book, covering all aspects from
training and life on board through to touchdown and debriefing. The
details of eating, bathing, and toilet use in microgravity will engage
most upper elementary-school readers. While this book received funding
from the Government of Canada, there has been no attempt to highlight
Canadian contributions to space exploration, such as the Canadarm. There
are many astronauts pictured, but none are identified. Those named in
the text are usually Russian or American. Sally Ride is mentioned;
Canadian Roberta Bondar is not. Still it is an accessible exploration of
the subject.

The Sun is a good introduction to many aspects of the sun, including
its structure, how it makes light and heat, and its effects on Earth. It
is visually more interesting than The Life of an Astronaut, with
illustrations overlapping text blocks and background.

The author has made use of NASA consultants to ensure the accuracy of
the content in both books. Overall, they are good introductions to their
subject matter. Recommended.