REVIEW: New Board Books Teach Children About Colors, Space, and Star Trek

The covers of a pair of new STAR TREK board books.

OCTOBER 7, 2022 - Most parents want to expose their kids to the things they like. My nephew has loved cars since he was born, no doubt due to my brother-in-law’s influence, and my niece has just taken up knitting, thanks in part to my mother’s enjoyment of the activity.

The kids also enjoy the occasional Star Trek and my niece is heavily into Sherlock Holmes, both because they’re interests of mine. Well, book publisher SmartPop has just released a pair of books for the younger set to help them learn about space and colors. And along the way, the hope is that they’ll learn to love Star Trek, as well. But will it work?

Star Trek: My First Book of Space and Star Trek: My First Book of Colors were released this past Tuesday. Both items are of the “board book” variety, meaning they’re made from heavy cardboard called “paperboard,” suitable for a youngster to handle without destroying too quickly. That’s important since they’re made for children aged 0 - 2 who won’t be careful not to rip the pages and may decide to chew on the edges. Board books aren’t completely indestructible, but they can take some abuse!

Space is written by Dr.Erin Macdonald, whose name may be familiar to you. Macdonald is an astrophysicist, which qualifies her to write a textbook and, some might say, overqualifies her to write a board book. She is also a science advisor to the modern-day Star Trek franchise, which qualifies her to write a Star Trek science book. Using science as a jumping-off point, she shepherds each show from the writing process through post-production, making sure the franchise’s science fiction elements don’t get too unbelievable.

Colors is written by Robb Pearlman, another familiar name. Pearlman is a pop culturalist and author, who has written dozens of books for adults and children, including Fun With Kirk and Spock, Starfleet Is…, and the forthcoming Young Adult novel Star Trek: Prodigy - Supernova, based on the equally forthcoming video game.

Both books are delightfully illustrated by Jason Kayser, who has illustrated everything from cookbooks to brand licensing titles. His illustrations are well-thought-out and kid-friendly, whether he’s drawing a “MYSTERIOUS GREEN hand” in Colors or a Klingon bird-of-prey slingshotting around the sun in Space. The vibrant colors will surely keep your young one gazing at each page, but Space has an added feature. Kayser’s illustrations of Star Trek vessels are set against actual photographs from space, such as an asteroid or an astronaut on a space walk. It adds a uniqueness to the book that brought me back to the illustrations more than once.

The writing for each book is entertaining, with lots of great information for children and plenty of gags for grown-ups to chuckle at, as well. My favorite joke, which Star Trek Voyager fans are sure to enjoy, came in Space on the nebula page and involved coffee. And where else but a board book about colors would you find a “FURRY WHITE mugato” and “FUZZY BROWN Tribbles” from Star Trek: The Original Series hanging out with “INKY BLACK Armus” from Star Trek: The Next Generation? (Although if they ever make any more Star Trek: Short Treks, that story is on the top of my list!)

The upshot is that if you have a young child in your life whose interest in Star Trek you’d like to pique, these books can’t be beaten. The child will learn something about space and colors, but will also see the awesome ships and aliens from our favorite franchise. And, if I’m being honest, adult Trek fans will enjoy them, too, for their jokes and clever illustrations.

Star Trek: My First Book of Space and Star Trek: My First Book of Colors are available now on Amazon for $11.99 each.

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