DK Eyewitness: Space Exploration – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

DK Eyewitness: Space Exploration

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book1995

72%

WISE Score

4.9

Amazon

A gorgeous visual time capsule of the Space Shuttle era that’s great for history, but maybe don't use it for your 2026 science fair project.

DK Eyewitness: Space Exploration

book

1995

72%

WISE Score

4.9

Amazon

A gorgeous visual time capsule of the Space Shuttle era that’s great for history, but maybe don't use it for your 2026 science fair project.

4.9

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Screenwise Verdict

DK Eyewitness books are the MVPs of the school library, and this one is no exception when it comes to visual flair. It’s a fantastic book if you want to teach your kid about the history of space flight up to the mid-90s.

However, if your kid wants to know what's happening now—like how we're planning to get to Mars or what the James Webb telescope is seeing—this book will leave them hanging. It’s a great 'coffee table' book for a third grader, but treat it as a history lesson rather than a current science guide.

Age Fit

Perfect for 7 to 11-year-olds who love diagrams. Older kids will quickly realize the tech is 'retro' and might prefer something updated with 21st-century missions.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's the gold standard of educational publishing. The tone is curious, objective, and entirely focused on the wonder of discovery without any snark or hidden agendas.

Imaginative

The 'museum-on-a-page' layout invites kids to pore over details and imagine themselves in a cockpit, though as a reference book, it's more about absorbing facts than creative play.

Safe

100

Zero safety concerns. It’s a non-fiction book about rockets and planets. Unless your child has a specific phobia of freeze-dried shrimp or vacuum-sealed suits, you're in the clear.

Enriching

High marks for clarity and information density, but significant points lost because it's three decades old. In the world of space science, 1995 is practically the Stone Age.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

The classic DK white-background photography makes every bolt and circuit board look like a work of art.
Excellent for kids who prefer 'browsing' books rather than reading a dense narrative from start to finish.
Provides a solid foundation on the Apollo missions and the early days of the Space Shuttle.
The physical build quality of these books is tank-like; they survive backpacks and younger siblings with ease.

⚠

What to Watch For

It’s from 1995. Pluto is still a planet here, and the International Space Station is barely a drawing on a napkin.
Zero mention of modern milestones like SpaceX, the James Webb Telescope, or the Mars rovers like Perseverance.

Conversation Starters

"Look at the computers in these old cockpits—how do they compare to the tablet or phone you're using right now?"
"Why do you think we haven't sent humans back to the moon since the era this book was written?"
"If you were an astronaut in 1995, what would you have missed most about Earth?"

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