Senior Lecturer in Science Education Dr Leigh Hoath has published Enquiring Explorers: Reach for the Stars, an illustrated children’s story and science activity book which follows the journey of two best friends, Charlotte and Zach.

The duo, who are inspired by Dr Hoath and her co-author Emma Vanstone’s own children, share a love of all things space and take the trip of a lifetime into space, encountering a series of fun challenges to solve.

Aimed at primary children aged five to nine, each chapter has a different problem to solve before moving on to the next. The book covers topics including healthy diet, plants, habitats, seasons, health, forces, materials, recycling and sustainability.

Enquiring Explorers: Reach for the Stars is accompanied by downloadable activity resources for each chapter, meaning the book can be read as a story and also to support learning in class and at home with a parent or guardian.

Dr Hoath said: “Writing this book was not only fulfilling an ambition – it was so much fun! Seeing the characters come to life through the beautiful illustrations was magical. Enabling children to learn and apply scientific thinking, reasoning and knowledge in this way brings together so much. It’s a lovely book to look at for sure but also a very useful one for supporting learning.”

Emma Vanstone, co-author of Enquiring Explorers: Reach for the Stars, said: “I wanted to write a science book that was a bit different and Enquiring Explorers: Reach for the Stars is definitely not your standard science book. It gives children the opportunity to learn about space and some of the difficulties astronauts face through an exciting story with lots of challenges and investigations along the way. It's been great fun to write and I hope people love it as much as Leigh and I do!”

Enquiring Explorers: Reach for the Stars is the first in a series of children’s activity books, with the authors currently writing two more stories for release in early 2021. The book is available to pre-order for £10.00.