May the 4th Be with You
What is the importance of May the 4th? For fans of the Star Wars franchise, it’s a pun on the first half of the iconic phrase from the movies: “May the Force be with you.” May the 4th is unofficially Star Wars Day, and more widely, a day to celebrate all things space related. It’s also the perfect excuse to plan a fun night of space exploration, stories, and hands-on family activities.
In addition to Hoopla’s May the 4th collection of space-themed titles, we’ve pulled together three fun space-related games and three space-related titles to go with them—an audiobook, an eBook, and a comic for each.
Let’s blast off!
Space Activities for Kids and Titles to Go with Them
DIY Mini Constellations
What it is:
A family-friendly craft where kids make up their own constellations and the stories behind them.
Materials:
- Dark paper
- White crayon, chalk marker, or silver pen
- Pushpin or pencil (optional, with help)
- Flashlight (optional)
How to make it:
- Using the pen, crayon, or marker, scatter random dots across the page like stars.
- Choose a few dots and connect them with faint lines to create shapes.
- Decide what the constellation is, based on its shape, and name it (like “Flying Pizza Bear” or “Rocket Fish”).
- Tell a story about where it lives or what powers it has.
- For extra flair, poke tiny holes in the stars and shine a flashlight behind the paper to make it glow like a real night sky.
Reading tie-in:
Read stories about space, imagination, and stargazing.
eBook: Astronaut Mae Jemison by Allison Lassieur
Read about the first Black woman astronaut to embark on space travel! Mae Jemison grew up watching Star Trek and was certain she’d be an astronaut one day, even though there had never before been an astronaut who looked like her.
Audiobook: A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen and read by Chelsea Stephens
Imagine being friends with the moon! In this story, a little boy thinks the moon looks sad, so he writes letters and sends them up on a kite. He promises he’ll come meet her one day, and after years of studying and training, he becomes an astronaut and does just that.
Comic: Lunar Boy written and illustrated by Jes Wibowo and Cin Wibowo
Indu, a kid from the moon, feels out of place on New Earth. School’s rough, his crush is confusing, and his family’s distant. In a lonely moment, he asks the moon to take him back—and it says yes. But as the day gets closer, he starts rethinking what “home” really means.
Space Scavenger Hunt
What it is:
A fun search game that turns your space into a mini space mission.
Materials:
- Paper
- Pencil
- Basket or bowl
How to play:
- Brainstorm a list of “space-themed” clues. Here are a few examples:
- Something round like a planet
- Something shiny like a star
- Something that could be alien food
- Something that looks like a rocket
- Write all the ideas down. This is your hunt list.
- Come up with the details:
- Where the hunt happens (room, house, playground)
- Whether players collect items, take pictures, or just point them out
- If there’s a time limit or teams
- Add a story, like “We’re exploring a new galaxy” or “We need supplies to fix our spaceship.”
- Start the hunt!
- Share what everyone finds.
Mix it up:
- Add a timer
- Team up
- Draw instead of collect
Reading tie-in:
Read some fast-moving, exciting space stories.
eBook: There Was an Old Astronaut Who Swallowed the Moon! by Lucille Colandro
A laugh-out-loud funny take on There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. In this version, the astronaut swallows the moon, a star, a planet, a comet, a meteor, a rocket, and a satellite. Along the way, kids learn scientific facts about these and more elements of the solar system.
Audiobook: Space Case by Stuart Gibbs and read by Gibson Frazier
A funny, suspenseful moon-set mystery. Twelve-year-old Dash Gibson, bored of living on a lunar base, stumbles into trouble when a top scientist dies. No one believes him, but Dash suspects murder—and uncovers a secret so big, someone might kill to keep it hidden.
Comic: Blake Laser by Keith Marantz and Larissa Brown and illustrated by Larissa Brown
Blake’s family space vacation gets interrupted when something starts draining the sun, putting Earth on a 48-hour freeze countdown. They’re the only ones close enough to check it out, so Blake grabs her gadgets and ideas to figure it out and hopefully save the planet.
Alien Name Generator
What it is:
A fun, creative game where kids make up their own alien characters.
Materials:
- Paper
- Pencil
How to play:
- Start by making a “name chart.” Come up with categories of how the name will be chosen, like:
- First letter of your name = first part of your alien name
- Birth month = second part
- Favorite color or animal = last part
- Then decide what each category stands for:
- A = Zog, B = Blip, C = Kree
- January = tron, February = nara, March = zix (invent the words yourself)
- Blue = sparkle, Red = blaze, Cat = whisk
So a player named Amy, born in February and whose favorite color is red, would be “Zog-nara Blaze.”
Mix it up:
- Write funny names and on slips of paper
- Mix them up in a bowl to mix and match names
Reading tie-in:
Read some fun space stories with quirky aliens.
eBook: Star Wars: The Mandalorian: Allies & Enemies by Various Authors
This fun book is perfect for Level 2 readers—kids who are able to recognize familiar words and are beginning to read independently. Kids are introduced to the main and memorable characters of the Star Wars: The Mandalorian series.
Audiobook: Space Taxi by Wendy Mass and Michael Brawer and read by Eason Rytter
Archie’s dad drives an intergalactic space taxi, hauling aliens all over the universe. As copilot, Archie dodges planets, zips through wormholes, handles a super weird cat, and somehow ends up trying to stop an evil mastermind and save everything.
Comic: Phoebe and Her Unicorn: Galactic Unicorn written and illustrated by Dana Simpson
Phoebe and her unicorn BFF, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, plan a big end-of-summer birthday bash with humans and magical guests. But things get weird when Marigold meets her robot double and spirals into an identity crisis just as the robot heads off on a wild space mission needing their help.
Fun Family Space Night with Hoopla
Combine reading, crafts, and storytelling for fun family activities that celebrate curiosity and creativity together. May the 4th be with you!
*Titles may vary by library
Endless entertainment.
No subscription required.
With Hoopla you can read, listen, and watch for free with your library card.
Get Started