The Amazing International Space Station

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

Prepared by the editors of Yes magazine, this book has the appeal of a
kids’ magazine. Stories are short, and laid out in columns. There are
lots of photographs of varying sizes and shapes—all showing astronauts
and cosmonauts who appear to be having great fun. There are plenty of
speech balloons with irreverent comments attributed to the “nauts.”
Story titles are all in a typeface that mimics hand printing, and they
never go in a straight line: instead, they curve, wave, and wrap around
the photographs.

The text is informal—written in the second person to place the reader
in the activity—and focuses on the things that kids would care about.
For example, going to the toilet is described in detail: “You place
your feet under a pair of straps, sit down on the small seat and clamp
the restraints over your thighs. Now fire up the fan that acts like a
vacuum cleaner under your bum.”

There are some activities for readers to try, including making “Space
Soup.” At the end of the book, there is some advice for would-be
astronauts, a timeline of space exploration, an abbreviations guide
called “The Secret Language of Space,” and an index.

Perhaps because the space station is truly an international endeavour,
this book has much less of the American flavour that typically pervades
North American children’s books about space flight.

Overall, The Amazing International Space Station is an excellent book
that will engage kids and hold their interest. Highly recommended.