The Pioneer of the Pioneers (1962)

This books celebrates the voyage of Yuri Gagarin and how he inspired the Soviet nation. It has impressions of the flight, history of Gagarin, b&w photographs, and a large number of children's drawings of space flight. I have chosen to highlight these drawings as capturing the excitement children may have felt at the idea of people going into space. 

The Pioneer of the Pioneers. Moscow : Young Guard Press. 80 p. 20 cm. 1962.

On Space Flights (1956)

 

On Space Flight is a softcover Russian scientific book. It was published by The Young Guard publishing house and was intended for older children interested in rockets and space. The author was a Soviet astronomer who was known for his studies of gas dynamics. The book is mostly text but does have several nice illustrations.

Kirill Petrovich Stanyukovich. On Space Flights. Moscow : Young Guard. 32 p. 20 cm. 1956.