Booklist Starred Review of Becoming an Astronaut

Lots of pictures and inviting, informative text offer a glimpse into some of the training that aspiring astronauts need to complete before they’re permitted to travel into space in this installment in the Spaceology series (6 titles). Thoughtful, magazine-style page layouts feature photos of astronauts at work, and each photo is clearly labeled to identify equipment or an activity. This title glosses over the science necessary for space travel and instead focuses on the day-to-day realities of training to be an astronaut, with a big emphasis on the amount of preparation and practice involved, including living in an ISS simulator, learning Russian, and spending days at a time in a cave to learn how to live and work in a pitch black environment. Kids already fascinated by space travel will likely be delighted by these insider details, which shed light on multifaceted work of astronauts. A picture glossary and occasional critical thinking questions add depth to this engaging, high-interest title for the younger set.