Over the weekend, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moment Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped down onto the moon and discovered it was not – in fact – made of cheese. (Bummer.)

Seriously, though, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission has not gone by unnoticed. Events and celebrations have been going on all over the country, movies have come out, and plenty of books have been published to mark the occasion.

Today, we’re looking at a small pile of kid-appropriate books to keep the excitement and inspiration of the Apollo 11 anniversary alive. Whether your kid wants to be an astronaut or engineer or just wants to learn more about the history (and future) of space travel and exploration, there’s something here for you.

And while you’re here, you might want to spend a few minutes to check out the time we sat down with living legend Buzz Aldrin. Y’know, as you do.

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

by Chris Gall (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan)

This seems like the most logical place to start. Go for the Moon is Chris Gall’s autobiographical account of the Apollo 11 mission. Gall relates the excitement he – and the entire world – felt in July 1969 when Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins made history.

The book alternates between (1) a personal account of a young Gall making a model rocket and following the news at home on TV, and (2) a detailed look at the real science and engineering behind Apollo 11, Saturn V, Columbia, Eagle, and space exploration in general.

It also gives a palpable sense of the enthusiasm and inspiration the mission evoked. For kids (and adults!) who’ve grown up with the Space Shuttle, SpaceX, Mars rovers, and reusable rockets, Go for the Moon is a phenomenal reminder of how much work was required to first get us to the moon. And just how special it was.

(Listen to my extended conversation with Chris Gall here.)

Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover

by Markus Motum (Candlewick Press)

Ostensibly a picture book, this book is actually a fairly deep dive into the Curiosity rover, its development, and the history of missions to Mars. Motum’s minimalist art is – admittedly – a bizarre complement to the depth of information on each page, but it keeps the reader from getting overwhelmed. And it works incredibly well.

If you’ve got a little one who’s interested in Curiosity (and really, who isn’t?) and how we managed to put that little guy on the red planet, this book is not to be missed. It’s also written in the first person from Curiosity‘s perspective, which is just adorable. And unless you’re really well read in the Curiosity mission (or Bobak Ferdowsi), odds are good you’ll come away with a wealth of new knowledge about NASA and the rover – and a healthy respect for both.

Tiny Little Rocket

by Richard Collingridge (David Fickling Books/Scholastic)

For the youngest would-be space explorers, Tiny Little Rocket helps instill a sense of wonder at bedtime. It’s not so much a “story” as it is a gentle stoking of the imagination. Collingridge pairs his simple verses with gorgeous illustrations that are dominated by the black, empty, vastness of space. Where other books might succumb to the temptation to fill all that empty space with facts, figures, or art, Tiny Little Rocket lets the emptiness of space speak for itself.

The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal

by Nick Seluk (Orchard Books/Scholastic)

I mean, come on. Just look at the cover. How can you say no?

Disguised as a cute picture book about an emoji sun, Seluk’s book is actually a fairly deep introduction to the sun and our solar system for young readers. Kids will come away with more than a passing understanding of how the sun affects and is affected by everything else in the solar system: stars versus planets, orbits, phases of the moon, seasons, eclipses, climates, the water cycle, photosynthesis, and on and on.

Basically, it’s an intro science class for 1st to 3rd graders. And it’s ADORABLE.

My Journey to the Stars

written by Scott Kelly, illustrated by André Ceolin (Crown/Random House)

Scott Kelly made history in 2016 when he and Mikhail Korniyenko spent a year aboard the International Space Station, ultimately spending 342 days in space. That mission, though it attracted all the headlines, was just the pinnacle of an incredible career in which he flew aboard the Discovery and Endeavor shuttles and commanded the ISS on three separate missions.

This picture book is an autobiographical account of his childhood, his road to becoming an astronaut, his training to be a pilot, his NASA career, and his historic experiences in space. It’s a wonderful story about chasing your dreams from a modern-day explorer, and it’s perfect for any kid who looks to the stars and dreams. (Kelly also published a memoir for adults, Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, which is well worth checking out.)

Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rover and Beyond

written by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Stephen Biesty (Candlewick Press)

Though this might look like a picture book on the outside (oversize trim, illustrated cover), all you have to do is crack it open and you’ll quickly be remedied of thinking this is “just a kid’s book.” This is a relatively slim book with a HUGE word count, making it ideal for older elementary and middle school kids ready for a much deeper dive into the history of space exploration.

Eight chapters (yep, chapters!) take a look at the solar system, early astronomy, the science of telescopes, the history of space travel, living in space, traveling to other planets and moons, and what lies ahead. Jenkins gives us an exhaustive look at the history and current state of space science.

On top of the wealth of knowledge packed into these pages, the art is phenomenal. Stephen Biesty is an award-winning illustrator of cross-section books (which I adore), and we’re gifted with not only detailed images of satellites and rockets but also incredibly fun cross sections of the space shuttle, the ISS, Curiosity, and more.

Rocket to the Moon! Big Ideas That Changed the World

by Don Brown (Amulet/Abrams)

Let’s take it full circle and end where we began – with Apollo 11 and the first moon landing 50 years ago. This graphic novels is the first in a series that takes a look at a “big idea” and explores the events and people that led to its creation.

Less a biography of Neil Armstrong or a scientific look at the inventions and technologies that made the moon landing possible, Rocket to the Moon! is more of a holistic look at the history of rocket flight (dating back several centuries) and the 20th century events that led to the Apollo program and moon landing.

Where this book differs from others on this list is that it actually mentions the Apollo missions that landed on the moon AFTER Apollo 11. There were five more successful moon landings and 10 more astronauts on the moon, and though each mission only receives a single page at the end of the book, it’s nice to at least see the acknowledgment.