Up in the Blue Sky: Journey from the Earth’s Surface to Outer Space

Gr 3-7–A beautifully illustrated book that takes readers meter by meter from ground-dwelling ants to the exosphere and beyond, simply by rotating it 90 degrees. Read vertically, you ascend through Earth’s atmospheric layers while encountering diverse animals, aircraft, natural phenomena, and space exploration facts. Each spread displays the distance from Earth’s surface, several elements visible at that altitude, and an in-depth description of one featured item. Minimal back matter includes an index of all highlighted elements and their corresponding distances from Earth. This innovative nonfiction book creates the sensation of soaring through the sky. Zaffaroni’s illustrations strike a perfect balance of being photorealistic and maintaining a gentle quality that appeals to children. The concise text brims with fascinating facts that will captivate curious minds. The book’s vertical format is more than a gimmick; it reinforces the upward journey concept and makes the reading experience feel interactive and adventurous. Young readers will enjoy discovering what exists at different altitudes, from familiar birds and airplanes to satellites and space probes.