Description
No living creature has travelled into space and returned alive … but that is about to change.
Our narrator Vlad Flea and his friend Strelka the dog are about to travel beyond their wildest dreams and be rocketed to international fame. They are living on the streets of Moscow when they are picked up, checked over and strapped into a rocket. They are launched into orbit to circle the Earth before falling back down – alive and straight into the history books. Their importance in the space race between the United States and the USSR is huge and their success in 1950 leads to the first human following swiftly behind them the same year. Vlad and the Space Race is a beautifully hand-illustrated story that transforms museum pieces and black and white photographs into a colourful context.
Do you want to know the story of the stray dogs who made space travel a reality?
Research shows that stories are many times more memorable than cold facts, which is why we created the Flea in History series, so children learn history through stories.
Each book is meticulously researched and show how the space dogs were chosen and trained. In Vlad and the Space Race the story features the suits, and technology available at the time. It throws a light on the tense competitiveness and ends with one of Strelka’s puppies being gifted to JF Kennedy by Nikita Khrushchev – a daily reminder of the success of the Russian programme. All the information (including the puppy) is based on the true events at this crucial time.
Vlad and the Space Race is a story that can be read repeatedly revealing layers of information and providing a resource for learning about history and how we research it. As with all Vlad Flea books it is a perfect springboard for extending the topic in literacy, art and beliefs as well as history. Learning materials for parents and teachers can be found on the Reading Riddle website.
The book finishes with a fact file that includes information about the history and research behind the story.
Details
Publisher - Reading Riddle
Language - English
Perfect Bound
Contributors
By author
Kate Cunningham
Sam Cunningham
Published Date - 2026-08-12
ISBN - 9781913338008
Dimensions - 27.9 x 21.6 x 0.2 cm
Page Count - 32
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