Soar to Infinity and Beyond with The International Space Station

While astronomy is not covered on the elementary SOLs, many of the students in my cooperating classroom are interested in space and space travel. So when I found the book The International Space Station by Frank Branley my interest was immediately piqued. Much like Gail Gibbons' Polar Bears, The International Space Station presents scientific facts while highlighting them with detailed illustrations.

The International Space Station was first launched in 1998, when two astronauts, one from Russia and one from America, fastened together the first two parts of the Station. However, that was just the beginning. The International Space Station is still under construction to this day and is expected to be completed in the next one to five years. The Station is constructed by astronauts called "spacewalkers" who work in orbit, where there is no air or gravity. Spacewalkers wear specialized space suits to regulate their oxygen levels, temperature and pressure. They  must also be tethered to the Station by ropes or else they would float away into space and be lost forever! The International Space Station is a place for collaborative research among scientists from Russia, the United States, Japan, England and up to sixteen other countries so that we may learn more about outer space in preparation for further research.

I would definitely recommend The International Space Station as an excellent edition to any classroom library and as a great resource for helping students learn more about a pretty dense subject. The book explained the facts on an easy to understand level and the illustrations aided the text without making the reader feel overwhelmed. Teachers could also use this book as a part of a unit on technology or international collaboration.