Recommended Books

Every book on this list has been personally read and recommended by our team. Whether for classroom use or independent research, these are titles we truly love. Look for the 🩷 to see Julie's personal favourites, and the 🍁 for Canadian titles. You can also click on the cover image to open a link to purchase the book.

The age ranges below reflect recommended reading levels rather than the relevance of the content. A book listed for younger readers may still offer valuable perspectives for older students, and we encourage you to browse across age groups and let curiosity be your guide.

That said, any book on this list can be read aloud to younger children. The recommended age simply indicates when most students would be able to read it independently.

Julie's Picks	Ages	Author	Summary	CDN
	5+	Brittany Luby	A beautiful storybook by an Indigenous author and illustrator that captures the comfort of tradition through a lovely connection to the night sky. See resources for grades K–8 developed in collaboration with the Fields Institute.	🍁
	5+	Chris Hadfield	Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield shares the story of his childhood and how he overcame his fear of the dark, inspired by the Moon landing.	🍁
	5+	James Gladstone	A beautiful blend of astronomy and history, told through the eyes of Halley's comet as it describes what it witnessed on Earth with each passing visit. What will it see when it returns in 2061?	🍁
	5+	Oliver Jeffers	A father describes our planet and its inhabitants to his young son in this beautiful reflection on what matters most on Earth. A gentle introduction to our place in the Universe.
🩷	5+	Sophie Blackall	If you had to introduce our planet to a visitor from space, what would you say? This book is a remarkable tribute to Earth and all its inhabitants.
	5+	Stacy McAnulty	This collection presents the Solar System in an engaging and scientifically accurate way. The Earth book is a perfect starting point for astronomy lessons, offering a beautiful overview of our planet.
	5+	Stacy McAnulty	The Moon book is a great starting point for making first-hand observations and exploring our Solar System.
	5+	Stacy McAnulty	The Sun book is a great subject to begin discussing seasons, time, and climate.
	6+	Parshati Patel	A perfect addition to any classroom, this richly illustrated reference book is packed with information and written by astrophysicist Parshati Patel.	🍁
	7+	Sanlyn Buxner, Pamela Gay, Georgiana Kramer	Covering everything from the Moon's formation and geography to lunar phases, the Apollo missions, and recent discoveries, this beautifully illustrated guide is a perfect introduction to Earth's closest neighbour.
	8+	Cathy LeBlanc, David Chapman	Through beautiful illustrations, stories, and astronomical background, this book guides us through a year of Mi'kmaw Moons. Explore the patterns of the sky and their relationship to the land.	🍁
	8+	Joalda Morancy	An excellent overview of current scientific knowledge on the search for life beyond Earth, brought to life through superb illustrations. Note: there is a small error in the glossary definition of a light-year.
	8+	John A. Read	A great guide for anyone looking to explore the Moon with binoculars or a small telescope. Beautifully illustrated and easy to use.	🍁
🩷	10+	Nicole Mortillaro	Discover the work and lives of seven women in astronomy, including Renée Hložek, one of our collaborators at the University of Toronto.	🍁
	12+	Marcin Sawicki	This beautifully illustrated volume takes us behind the stunning images to reveal what they tell us about star formation, distant galaxies, and the ongoing search for worlds beyond our Solar System.	🍁