Children's books and activities

Stars, Planets and the Night Sky

Do you know any kids who are fascinated by the constellations, the phases of the Moon, or what it's like to be an astronaut? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about stars, constellations, planets, and the night sky.

Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic, such as stars, planets, and space exploration. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

You might also want to explore our free activity kit: Space Rangers.

Stars, Planets and the Night Sky

Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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illustrated cover of A Big Mooncake for Little Star showing a child eating the moon.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star

By:
Grace Lin

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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A is for Astronaut: Exploring Space from A to Z

By:
Traci N. Todd
| Illustrated by: Sarah Gillingham

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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A Long Way Away: A Two-Way Story

By:
Frank Viva

Age Level: 3-6 years old

illustrated cover of Blackout showing a dark sky with stars. A family with flashlights looks out at the night..

Blackout

By:
John Rocco

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth

By:
Oliver Jeffers

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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I Want to Be an Astronaut

By:
Byron Barton
| Illustrated by: Byron Barton

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Look Inside Space

By:
Rob Lloyd Jones
| Illustrated by: Benedetta Giaufret

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing

By:
Dean Robbins
| Illustrated by: Lucy Knisley

Age Level: 3-6 years old

cover of "Mousetronaut" showing a mouse in a space suit

Mousetronaut

By:
Mark Kelly
| Illustrated by: C.F. Payne

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Space

By:
Catherine D. Hughes

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Oh No, Astro!

By:
Matt Roeser
| Illustrated by: Brad Woodard

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Our Stars

By:
Anne Rockwell
| Illustrated by: Anne Rockwell

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Rocket to the Moon

By:
Lerryn Korda

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Stars

By:
Mary Lyn Ray
| Illustrated by: Marla Frazee

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Thanking the Moon

By:
Grace Lin
| Illustrated by: Grace Lin

Age Level: 3-6 years old

cover of "The Planet Hunter" showing boy looking through telescope

The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto

By:
Elizabeth Rusch
| Illustrated by: Guy Francis

Age Level: 3-6 years old

illustrated cover of "What's Out There" showing planets and two people looking up from earth

What's Out There? A Book About Space

By:
Lynn Wilson
| Illustrated by: Paige Billin-Frye

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Zathura

By:
Chris Van Allsburg

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Zelda's Big Adventure

By:
Marie Alafaci
| Illustrated by: Shane McG

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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illustrated cover of The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon. It shows an astronaut on the moon using an easel to paint.

The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean

By:
Dean Robbins
| Illustrated by: Sean Rubin

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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100 Things to Know About Spac

By:
Howard Hughes

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of A Computer Called Katherine showing a little girl looking up at the title above her.

A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon

By:
Suzanne Slade

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "A Full Moon is Rising" showing people dancing under the moon

A Full Moon Is Rising

By:
Marilyn Singer
| Illustrated by: Julia Cairns

Age Level: 6-9 years old

A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars

By:
Seth Fishman
| Illustrated by: Isabel Greenberg

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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A Moon of My Own

By:
Jennifer Rustigi
| Illustrated by: Ashley White

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Apollo 13 (Totally True Adventures)

By:
Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Astronaut Academy

By:
Steve Martin

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Astronaut Handbook showing four children in spacesuits.

Astronaut Handbook

By:
Meghan McCarthy

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Astronaut in Training

By:
Catherine Ard

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Bright Sky, Starry City

By:
Uma Krishnaswami
| Illustrated by: Aimee Sicuro

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Caroline’s Comets: A True Story

By:
Emily Arnold McCully

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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CatStronauts: Mission Moon

By:
Drew Brockington

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of City Moon showing a skyline with a large moon and an adult and child walking

City Moon

By:
Rachael Cole

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings

By:
Douglas Florian

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Cover for the children's nonfiction book Counting on Katherine

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13

By:
Halaine Becker

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Coyote Places the Stars showing a coyote by a river looking up at the sky

Coyote Places the Stars

By:
Harriet Peck-Taylor

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon

By:
Suzanne Slade
| Illustrated by: Alan Marks

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars

By:
Gary Golio
| Illustrated by: E.B. Lewis

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Destination: Mars

By:
Seymour Simon

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Eight Days Gone showing the moon, the lunar module, and an American Flag

Eight Days Gone

By:
Linda McReynolds

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Faces of the Moon" showing the moon

Faces of the Moon

By:
Bob Crelin
| Illustrated by: Leslie Evans

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Go for the Moon: A Rocket, a Boy, and the First Moon Landing

By:
Chris Gall

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Her Seven Brothers" showing two people outside a teepee tent

Her Seven Brothers

By:
Paul Goble

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

By:
Margot Lee Shetterly
, Winifred Conklin
| Illustrated by: Laura Freeman

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "How the Stars Fell into the Sky" showing a girl holding a star and a pile of stars next to her

How the Stars Fell into the Sky

By:
Jerrie Oughton
| Illustrated by: Lisa Desimini

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "I, Galileo" showing man looking through telescope

I, Galileo

By:
Bonnie Christensen

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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If You Decide To Go To The Moon

By:
Faith McNulty

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon

By:
Joyce Lapin
| Illustrated by: Simona Ceccarelli

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Just Right showing girling standing by telescope and looking up at Saturn

Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet

By:
Curtis Manley

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Life on Mars showing a boy dressed as an astrounaut walking across the moon while a creature peeks out from a hole

Life on Mars

By:
Jon Agee

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of "Look Up" showing girl looking up at the night sky

Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer

By:
Robert Burleigh
| Illustrated by: Raul Colon

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Looking Up!: The Science of Stargazing

By:
Joe Rao

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Mae Among the Stars showing girl in space helmet with night sky behind her

Mae Among the Stars

By:
Roda Ahmed

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Mae Jemison

By:
Luke Collins

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Maria's Comet showing leaning against a windowsill, resting her head in her hand, and staring out the window

Maria's Comet

By:
Deborah Hopkinson

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet

By:
Elizabeth Rusch
| Illustrated by: Teresa Martinez

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Max Goes to Jupiter: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog

By:
Jeffrey Bennett

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Max Goes to the Space Station: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog

By:
Jeffery Bennett
| Illustrated by: Michael Carroll

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Me and My Place in Space

By:
Joan Sweeney

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Miss Tracy Is Spacey showing showing children dressed as plants and a grey-haired woman in a green hat

Miss Tracy Is Spacey!

By:
Dan Gutman

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

By:
Brian Floca

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Music for Mr. Moon

By:
Erin Stead

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein

By:
Jennifer Berne
| Illustrated by: Vladimir Radunsky

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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One Giant Leap

By:
Robert Burleigh

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Our Solar System

By:
Seymour Simon

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Out of This World: Poems and Facts About Space

By:
Amy Sklansky
| Illustrated by: Stacey Schuett

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Owl Moon showing an adult and child on a snowy hill with the moon in the background.

Owl Moon

By:
Jane Yolen

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Pluto is Peeved showing planets with concerned faces on them and Pluto has a crying face.

Pluto Is Peeved: An Ex-Planet Searches for Answers

By:
Jacqueline Jules
| Illustrated by: Dave Roman

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Pluto's Secret: An Icy World's Tale of Discovery

By:
Margaret Weitekamp

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Science Comics: Solar System: Our Place in Space

By:
Rosemary Moscoe

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Stargazers

By:
Gail Gibbons

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Starry Sky

By:
Kate Hayden
, Deborah Lock

Age Level: 6-9 years old

a star in space

Stars

By:
Seymour Simon

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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The Darkest Dark

By:
Chris Hadfiled

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of English and Spanish bilingual book the Lizard and the Sun showing a lizard looking up at the smiling sun

The Lizard and the Sun / La Lagartija y el Sol

By:
Alma Flor Ada

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "The Story of the Milky Way" showing an animal made of stars crossing the sky

The Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale

By:
Joseph Bruchac
, Gayle Ross

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of "The Moon Book" showing people looking at a giant moon

The Moon Book

By:
Gail Gibbons
| Illustrated by: Gail Gibbons

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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The Planets

By:
Gail Gibbons

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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The Planets in Our Solar System

By:
Franklyn Branley

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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The Sky Is Full of Stars

By:
Franklyn Branley
| Illustrated by: Felicia Bond

Age Level: 6-9 years old

The Star People: A Lakota Story

By:
S. D. Nelson

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of The Stuff of Stars showing swirls of red and blue and two figures.

The Stuff of Stars

By:
Marion Dane Bauer
| Illustrated by: Ekua Holmes

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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The Stunning Science of Everything: Science with the Squishy Bits Left In

By:
Nick Arnold
, Tony De Saulles

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of There Was an Old Martian Who Swallowed the Moon showing martian in flying spaceship with smiling crescent moon in the background

There Was an Old Martian Who Swallowed the Moon

By:
Jennifer Ward

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back showing a turtle and flamingos by water with the moon in the sky

Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moon

By:
Joseph Bruchac

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space

By:
Dave Williams

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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What Miss Mitchell Saw

By:
Hayley Barrett

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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What the Moon is Like

By:
Franklyn Branley

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of When the Moon Is Full showing an adult, child, and two dogs in the snow looking up the hill at trees and the moon.

When the Moon Is Full

By:
Mary Azarian

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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You Are the First Kid on Mars

By:
Patrick O'Brien

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of You Can't Ride a Bicycle to the Moon showing a child on a bike floating among stars and looking at the moon

You Can't Ride a Bicycle to the Moon

By:
Harriet Ziefert

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Your Place in the Universe

By:
Jason Chin

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Zoo In the Sky" showing a lion against the night sky

Zoo in the Sky

By:
Jacqueline Mitton
| Illustrated by: Christina Balit

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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""

A User's Guide to the Universe: Surviving the Perils of Black Holes, Time Paradoxes, and Quantum Uncertainty

By:
Dave Goldberg
| Illustrated by: Jeff Blomquist

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

By:
Tanya Lee Stone

Age Level: 9-12 years old

photo cover of Chasing Space showing an astronaut in his space suit and two dogs

Chasing Space

By:
Leland Melvin

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of Countdown showing man in space helmet looking up at the moon.

Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon

By:
Suzanne Slade
| Illustrated by: Thomas Gonzalez

Age Level: 9-12 years old

""

Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover

By:
Markus Motum

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of Exploring Space showing a space rover.

Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rover and Beyond

By:
Martin Jenkins
| Illustrated by: Stephen Biesty

Age Level: 9-12 years old

cover of "Find the Constellations" showing a starry sky

Find the Constellations

By:
H.A. Rey

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of Galileo's Universe showing person looking through telescope at comet in night sky.

Galileo's Universe

By:
J. Patrick Lewis
| Illustrated by: Tim Curry

Age Level: 9-12 years old

cover of Hidden Figures showing a sepia photo of a group of women

Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition

By:
Margot Lee Shetterly

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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How to be a Space Explorer: Your Out-of-this-World Adventure

By:
Lonely Planet

Age Level: 9-12 years old

cover of Laika showing a dog and a rocket launching

Laika

By:
Nick Abadzis

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Illustrated cover of Lost In Outer Space showing spaceship and debris in space.

Lost in Outer Space: The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13

By:
Tod Olson

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of Older Than Dirt showing creation stages of the Earth

Older Than Dirt: A Wild but True History of Earth

By:
Don Brown
, Michael Perfit

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Our Moon: New Discoveries About Earth’s Closest Companion

By:
Elaine Scott

Age Level: 9-12 years old

cover of Path to the Stars showing girl in girl scout uniform reaching up to the stars

Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist

By:
Sylvia Acevedo

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Punk Science: Intergalactic Supermassive Space Book

By:
Punk Science

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space

By:
Tammy O'Shaughnessy

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Illustrated cover of Seven Wonders of the Solar System showing a profile of Saturn.

Seven Wonders of the Solar System

By:
David A. Aguilar

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Space a Children's Encyclopedia

By:
DK Publishing

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of The Day the Universe Exploded My Head showing a large title and rocketships, astraunauts, stars, and planets.

The Day the Universe Exploded My Head

By:
Allan Wolf

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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The Librarian Who Measured the Earth

By:
Kathryn Lasky

Age Level: 9-12 years old

cover of "The Mighty Mars Rovers" showing a photo of a mars rover

The Mighty Mars Rovers

By:
Elizabeth Rusch

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of The Moon. It shows a girl looking up at the large moon.

The Moon

By:
Hannah Pang
| Illustrated by: Thomas Hegbrook

Age Level: 9-12 years old

The Origin of the Milky Way and Other Living Stories of the Cherokee

By:
Barbara Duncan

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet showing two children in a rocket in space

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet

By:
Eleanor Cameron

Age Level: 9-12 years old

photographic cover of To Space and Back showing a space shuttle and the edge of Earth

To Space and Back

By:
Sally Ride

Age Level: 9-12 years old

We Dream of Space

By:
Erin Entrada Kelly

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet

By:
Buzz Aldrin

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

By:
Grace Lin

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Who Was Neil Armstrong?

By:
Roberta Edwards

Age Level: 9-12 years old