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This is the first nonfiction book we have reviewed and to be quite honest, it wasn’t even on the radar until this past couple of days.

I have noticed quite often that a lot of teachers and parents come to the natural conclusion that their children like stories that are make believe… in other words, fiction. In reality from my experience as a parent and teacher, I have found that many kids do like to grab a nonfiction book every once in a while.

This week my four year old has fallen in love with Rockets and Spaceships by Karen Wallace. I think his biggest thrill while reading it is seeing the vibrant pictures of rockets and spaceships presented in a way that he can get excited about. He mimics the sounds they make as I read it to him, does the count down to lift off, and sometimes even tells me where he thinks they are going and what, in his mind, is even happening. For this time, he is totally engulfed in these ideas. It’s great to see your child get excited about something and even learn something in the process.

If you are familiar at all with the Dorling Kindersley’s series of books, you know that they have a long reputation of being a source for lots of informative texts. This book is part of the leveled reading series they have created and is a Level 1 beginning to read book. While this book was enjoyed the most by my four year old, I think it would be enjoyed by children through grades 2 or 3.