Dream of astronautics rooted in kids' hearts

Books for young and old

Besides exhibition visits, books are another good way for children to obtain knowledge about spaceships, stars and the universe.

On domestic book and electronics sales website JD.com, there is a book series called Seven Episodes on Astronautics, authored by famous astronautics writer Li Mingsheng, ranking fourth on the Top 10 pop-science best-seller list. Divided into Flying to the Space Port, Going out of the Earth Village, China's New Long March and four other books, the series tells stories about Chinese people's steps into space.

"My child likes it," said one of the more than 900 likes with comments. "I like it, too, because never before had we ordinary people known so much about our nation's history of exploring space. Parents can read it together with children," said another.

Hunan Science & Technology Press, a publishing house featuring pop-science books based in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, has published a First Driving Force series, including more than 50 books related to space and spaceships. They have also translated a series of books from the English language, such as Hubble's Greatest Discoveries and Latest Images, and 50 Years of Man in Space, telling humanity's astronautics history.

Zou Li, a senior editor at HSTP, echoed the online comments: "Our pop-science books are for both children and their parents. With the progress of society, children gain knowledge in such a speedy way that it is increasingly common for parents to be unable to answer their questions. That's why modern pop-science books tend more to allow the parents to grow together with their children. I hope our books can serve that purpose well."

Even language-learning materials prefer to include space as their topic. To the Moon and Beyond, a book introducing astronautics and astronomy in English, has got more than 10,000 ratings on JD.com, making it one of the most influential English-learning books.