What do the Moon, our bodies, nature, artificial intelligence and the jobs of the future have in common?
Much more than we might think.
This is the idea behind Explore and Learn, the new educational children’s book series from Astronauta LiLi, specially created for children aged 3 to 8.
The collection stars Lyra, a curious young girl who wants to understand the world around her. Through questions, adventures and imagination, she discovers some of the fascinating topics that will shape her life and the world of the future.
The collection is built around a simple but important idea: we do not have to choose between science and nature, technology and humanity, or exploring other worlds and protecting our own planet.
They can — and should — coexist.
Five books to start discovering the world
The first Explore and Learn series consists of five stories, each exploring a different area of knowledge.
Lyra Discovers the Moon introduces young children to astronomy and space exploration. Together with Lyra, they discover concepts such as the phases of the Moon, craters, how the Moon was formed, the relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun, and the missions that took humans to our natural satellite.
Lyra Discovers How to Take Care of the Planet explores nature, sustainability, animals, natural resources, recycling and the circular economy. It also introduces an especially important idea: technology can help us build a future in harmony with nature.
Lyra Discovers How to Take Care of Her Body turns that curiosity towards ourselves, helping children understand the importance of knowing, respecting and taking care of their own bodies.
Lyra Discovers Artificial Intelligence introduces one of the great technological transformations of our time in a simple and accessible way. Lyra discovers how humans have progressed from doing many tasks entirely by hand to creating machines, computers and robots that can help us. At the same time, children are introduced to an essential concept: technology should be used responsibly, and we need to learn how to distinguish between the real and digital worlds.
Finally, Lyra Discovers What She Could Be in the Future opens the door to imagination. Engineering, environmental protection, healthcare, space exploration, holographic reality, virtual ecosystems, nanomedicine and even the restoration of extraterrestrial ecosystems are just some examples of a future in which professions that sound like science fiction today could one day become reality.
Science and nature are not opposites
One of the main messages behind Explore and Learn is that technology should not be presented as something separate from nature, nor should space exploration be seen as something disconnected from the challenges we face here on Earth.
We want to show children exactly the opposite.
We can love nature and be fascinated by robots. We can protect our planet and dream of travelling to the Moon. We can learn how our bodies work while wondering what artificial intelligence will be capable of in the future.
Science helps us understand nature. Technology can help us protect it. Medicine helps us take care of ourselves. Space exploration helps us better understand the Earth. And curiosity is what connects all of these things.
They are not competing ideas. They are different ways of understanding, protecting and improving the world in which we live.
Curiosity before answers
The collection is not intended to tell children what they should become when they grow up.
We want to achieve something much more important: to inspire their curiosity.
To look at the Moon and ask why it changes shape.
To discover an animal and wonder where it lives.
To see a robot and ask how it works.
To understand why taking care of their bodies and our planet matters.
And when someone asks them what they want to be when they grow up, to be able to imagine professions that may not even exist yet.
Because the children who are three, four or five years old today will grow up in a world very different from the one we know now.
For happy future adults who care about our planet
Explore and Learn was created with them in mind.
For future scientists, artists, doctors, astronauts, biologists, engineers, teachers, explorers and inventors — and for professions that do not yet have a name.
But above all, it was created for future adults who are curious, happy and responsible for the planet they live on.
Learning about the Moon can also teach us to appreciate the Earth.
Learning about artificial intelligence can help us use technology wisely.
Understanding our bodies can teach us how to take care of ourselves.
And discovering nature can help us understand why it is worth protecting.
Science, space, nature, technology and life are all part of the same adventure: discovering our world.
And for Lyra, that adventure has only just begun.
Link to book shop: Libros Lyra – AstronautaLiLi