Our Universe Books

The nine published books are shown in publication order, but there is no continuing plot. Start with Earth! for the series' original approach, or choose the celestial body your child already wants to know about.

Venus! Fierce and Fabulous is volume 9 and the newest book available as of August 2026. Stars! The Secrets Behind the Twinkle is announced as volume 10 for 2027, so it is not included in the current count.

Our Little Universe is a separate interactive board-book line for toddlers. Its counting and alphabet books reuse familiar celestial characters but are not volumes 10 and 11 of the picture-book sequence.

Sources: Macmillan's official Our Universe series page, Macmillan's Venus! volume 9 page.

These are introductions rather than textbooks: jokes, expressive faces, and first-person narration make astronomy approachable, while timelines and back matter add more factual detail. Ages four to eight can enjoy the read-aloud story at different depths.

The books discuss enormous spans of time, planetary formation, extreme heat and cold, impacts, extinction, climate, and environmental responsibility in matter-of-fact, age-appropriate language. Some children will want help separating each narrator's personality from the science.