HOW TO EAT IN SPACE

Today’s astronauts have way more culinary options than Tang and freeze-dried fare.

Drawing from the experiences of astronauts at the International Space Station, Taylor addresses readers directly, as if they, too, were traveling in space. She describes the challenges of this environment (no grocery store, no kitchen, and no gravity). But, she makes clear, there will be many different kinds of food to choose from, including favorites from the astronauts’ home countries. Taylor explains how to prepare the food and cope with the difficulties of eating. The process can be slow, and food may not seem as tasty, so readers might want hot sauce. Surprise treats may arrive on rockets sent from Earth. Astronauts can even grow some vegetables (saving some for research, of course). Water is carefully rationed and recycled over and over. Proper disposal of trash is vital. Digital artwork—as well as a final page with photographs of actual astronauts—shows diverse people preparing, eating, and cleaning up after their meals. These entertaining illustrations, both vignettes and full-page spreads, accompany short paragraphs. Although the text is presented as a list of instructions, the inviting, conversational tone will engage young readers, and the variety of foods on the menu today—from kimchi to curried pumpkin soup—may surprise them. More information, for more able readers, appears in the extensive backmatter.

An appetizing guide to space-station dining.