Stories for Growing
Cover of The Darkest DarkAges 4 to 8
Open-mindedness

The Darkest Dark

Chris Hadfield with Kate Fillion, illustrated by The Fan Brothers

Ages 4 to 8
About this age guidance

Library: 4 to 8

The age tag follows Richland Library: The Darkest Dark. Other sources may suggest different ages. This is audience guidance, not an independent reading level.

Included among biographies about perseverance and facing fear.

Chris dreams about space but fears darkness. Watching the moon landing changes what darkness means to him.

Good forBeing brave

Recommended by Pragmatic Mom

Find at Bookshop.org Find on Amazon

Choose your preferred shop and check the edition there. These are standard links; no affiliate commission is earned in this preview.

What children see in the story

Imagining a future. Acknowledging fear. Revising a belief after seeing something new.

Why it’s on these shelves

Open-mindedness
Chris loves pretending to be an astronaut but is afraid of the dark at bedtime. Watching the televised moon landing shows him the darkness of space, and he starts to see dark as a place for exploration and his own dreams.

Why pick it up?

The publisher describes a change in how Chris sees darkness. The blogger connects the childhood experience to his later space career.

A note for parents

The primary fit is changing one’s view; the sources do not describe enough repeated practice to make persistence the primary tag.

Where this recommendation comes from

Pragmatic Mom

Included among biographies about perseverance and facing fear.

Read Mia Wenjen’s recommendation
Sources and review status

We have checked source descriptions and drafted the value mapping. We have not personally reviewed the full book. The value labels, situation assignments, and parent notes remain provisional.

Publisher or literacy resource · Original recommendation

Our explanation of the value fit is separate from the original reviewer’s judgment. Their inclusion here does not imply an endorsement of Stories for Growing.

Another good example

Browse more values