Reviews of Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet
Midwest Book Review
The Science Shelf
“Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet” is profusely illustrated and enthusiastically recommended for students in 3 to 7, and should be a part of every school and community library collection for young readers.
Space is still the final frontier and Mars continues to make news and attract generations of young people. A fascinating and informational book, “Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet” by hero-astronaut Buzz Aldrin challenges curious kids ages 8 to 12 to think about Mars as not just a faraway red planet but as a possible future home for Earthlings!
What will your new home be like? How will you get there? What will you eat for breakfast? Find out what life might be like far, far from Earth as you navigate your way through this fun and fascinating book. What kid wouldn’t want to blast off with him on this (literary) journey! Of special note is the inclusion of hands-on ‘kid friendly’ science experiments.
Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, “Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet” is profusely illustrated and enthusiastically recommended for students in 3 to 7, and should be a part of every school and community library collection for young readers.
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Late Bloomers Book Blog
Gigi McAllister
“I found myself quickly captivated. It reads almost, like a travel guide with realistic photos and scenarios. I learned a ton!”
Mars seems to be all the rage at the moment with recent studies apparently revealing “liquid water” on Mars and of course, the release of The Martian movie, which I can not wait to see!
In this book, Buzz Aldrin has everything covered. He is a huge cheerleader for exploration of Mars and has studied what it might be like if we Earthlings ever attempted to inhabit the red planet. He has certainly done his homework!
I have to admit, I was initially very reluctant when I picked up Welcome to Mars. I do not have a particular interest in space exploration, planets and the like. However, I found myself quickly captivated. It reads almost, like a travel guide with realistic photos and scenarios. I learned a ton! Did you know that Mars is the planet most like Earth in our solar system? And even at rocket speeds, it would take six months to get there!
Welcome to Mars covers everything from food to clothing to recreation. There are fun little activities for kids to do throughout the books to explore size ratios, air pressure and designing living spaces.
I know many kids will be fascinated by this book, but it is quite dense. I would recommend it for students in grades five and above as an independent read. It could be incorporated nicely as a read aloud during a solar system unit as well.
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Teach Mentor Texts
Jennifer Vincent
I was amazed by how much Buzz Aldrin has really thought about moving people to Mars! I knew it was possible and that people were working on it but I’ve never read about it so thoroughly and that it’s definitely possible. There are so many pictures throughout the book that really brought it to life but the text supports and explains everything in simple detail so young readers will be able to access the information.
As a mentor text, it would be awesome to look at how Buzz’s excitement for moving to Mars shines through even though it is a non-fiction text. You can also look at the layout of the book and how he goes through all the different elements and explains each one. He gives specific details so the reader can actually imagine what it would be like to live on Mars. He shares information about how you’ll be able to breathe there but also how you’ll be able to have fun there as well.
I’m completely fascinated now, especially after seeing how soon he believes we can do this. Welcome to Mars would be a great discussion starter and then a great text to use to ask kids questions about what it might be like to live on mars. I can see student writers easily going from reading non-fiction to writing their own science fiction stories as they imagine what it really would be like to live on Mars.
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Kristi’s Book Nook
Kristi Bernard
Parents and teachers will enjoy this guide to Mars and will want to add this to a home or school library. It’s time we started getting ready to live on Mars.
Do you want to visit Mars? Are you curious about what it would be like to live on Mars? Buzz Aldrin, is an astronaut and the second person to ever walk on the moon. In this wonderful fact filled guide, he invites readers to travel to Mars, build a livable environment and stay there.
Readers will learn how Mars compares to Earth. A day on Mars is similar to a day on Earth. And most importantly, Mars has water. Readers will learn about how they could travel to Mars and what they would need to bring. As readers turn the pages there are plenty of activities with cool things to create. Activities with step-by-step directions show readers how gravity works, where to find the red planet and even how to build a sample home of what people might live in on Mars.
There are many photos of Mars and our recent visit, scientific diagrams, activities, glossary and resources to learn more about Mars. Parents and teachers will enjoy this guide to Mars and will want to add this to a home or school library. It’s time we started getting ready to live on Mars.
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AriArmstrong.com
Ari Armstrong
I greatly enjoyed reading through Aldrin’s book. I look forward to reading it to my son in the coming years. But suddenly I’m struck by the thought that, if my son does go to Mars someday, he might stay there forever. As sad as that would be, maybe it’s about time we said goodbye to humanity’s next wave of pioneers.
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Ms. Yingling Reads
Msyinglingreads.blogspot.com
Aldrin makes a good argument that not only is inhabiting possible, but it is a great idea.
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WELCOME TO MARS is an incredibly interesting book about a potential settlement on Mars. Highly recommended to kids and parents alike with an interest in science and space!
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Coupondipity – Our favorite new books for kids
Coupondipity.com
If you’re a homeschooling parent, this book would be fantastic. You could build so many lessons including science, geography, English, spelling, even math.
What kid hasn’t dreamed or imagined life on another planet? Our little guy, who’s eight, is totally into all things space. And who better to educate him on another planet than Buzz Aldrin, who has a vision for not only traveling to Mars, but inhabiting it! Buzz takes kids on a wonderful adventure, and not only that, they will learn so much. Your child will be able to envision what life on Mars could actually be like.
If you’re a homeschooling parent, this book would be fantastic. You could build so many lessons including science, geography, English, spelling, even math. This one book has enough material to be integrated into a whole unit’s worth of lesson plans.
Space is still the final frontier and Mars continues to make news and attract generations of young people. In this fascinating book, hero-astronaut Buzz Aldrin challenges curious kids to think about Mars as not just a faraway red planet but as a possible future home for Earthlings!
What will your new home be like? How will you get there? What will you eat for breakfast? Find out what life might be like far, far from Earth as you navigate your way through this fun and fascinating book. What kid wouldn’t want to blast off with him on this (literary) journey!
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Mother Daughter Book Reviews: Welcome to Mars
Motherdaughterbookreviews.com
I highly recommend this great book and I think it is the perfect choice for any space enthusiast aged 8 years and older.
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Readers of all ages will never look at Mars the same way after reading Welcome To Mars: Making A Home On The Red Planet! Buzz Aldrin takes a wondrous and huge idea and explores it in a way that will inspire, entertain, and captivate.
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Miss Marple’s Musings
Joanna Marple
Do you remember how dry so much nonfiction was when you were a kid. This is no longer the case for books like this published by National Geographic Kids. This is a visually-appealing, well-structured, easy to access book for young and not so young readers fascinated with space travel and the possibility of living on other planets.
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Rockin’ Book Reviews
Lu Ann Worley
Welcome to Mars is written to fascinate and inspire future scientists, engineers and astronauts. Packed with hands on experiments and activities and featuring futuristic renderings and graphics, Buzz issues a call to action at the book’s conclusion, encouraging Generation Mars to join him in this mission and “roll up our sleeves and begin!”