Tim Peake to publish picture book with PRH

Penguin Random House Children’s is publishing a picture book, by Michelle Robinson and Nick East, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and astronaut Tim Peake.

Goodnight Spaceman is inspired by Peake’s mission to the International Space Station last year and how his sons Oliver and Thomas watched their father take off from earth.

Peake, the ESA’s first British astronaut, said: “Goodnight Spaceman is a delightful book that tells the story of two children, just like my sons, who dream of joining their dad on his adventures in space. I hope it may inspire a new generation of boys and girls to look up at the stars and not just ask questions but to go and seek answers of their own.”

He will pen a forward to the book, which is written by Robinson and illustrated by East, the duo behind books such as Goodnight Tractor (Puffin).

Goodnight Spaceman will be released 7th April in paperback, priced at £6.99.

Margherita Buoso, head of ESA’s communication unit in the UK, said: “Congratulations to Michelle Robinson and Nick East for the fantastic book. Through this partnership with Penguin Random House, we hope that children will not only dream of a better planet but help shaping it themselves. Tim’s mission is all about peaceful international collaboration for science and technology. We wish to see the book translated into other languages.”