Star Dance (1964) for Yuri's Night 2015

Happy Yuri's Night to all! If you are not familiar with this celebration, the first human to launch into space, Yuri Gagarin, flew the Vostok 1 spaceship on April 12, 1961.


So for this special celebration I recommend DANCING!!!

This is not a children's book but rather a document showing how Yuri's achievement was celebrated.  It seems to be from a book of music and choreography that the seller called Star Dance. One of the dances in the book is celebrating how a cosmonaut visited the heavens, dancing with the stars and moon.

Star Dance. Moscow. 1964. 20.4 x 25.8 cm (8" x 10.2") 128 pages + 24 pages of photos.

In the introduction to this section you can see the dedication to/inspiration from Yuri's flight.

Punch-out Mobile Solar System (1959)

Another example of space art but not necessarily space ship art for children, I love the colors and painted illustrations in this very thin book (6 pgs!).

Punch-out Mobile Solar System (1959) Dell Publishing Co. Racine, WI.  No. 151

It was very ambitious. Observe that it contained not only all 9 (8) planets and their moons, but also the Sun, the constellations, asteroids, comets, ring nebula, star clusters, and a spiral galaxy! It is the universe in your own bedroom.