I was never a science kid. However, if I had some of the graphic novels that First Second does for their Science Comics series, I might have been. And in the Science Comics: Solar System: Our Place in Space by Rosemary Mosco (illustrations by Jon Chad), we learn about the solar system in a clever and cute way. Two best friends, Sara (home sick) and Jill (trying to cheer her up by stopping her boredom) tell a story of how their pets (in true tongue-in-cheek science-fiction humor) blast off into space to give us a look at the world beyond. (You will later learn that both girls are named after two female scientists and there is a nod to another scientist as well).
This is just a fantastic cool and laugh-out-loud story about space and the solar system. We see a loyal dog captain, a sleek snake science officer, a roly-poly nervous hamster (who likes to chew on things) and a quirky, sleepy cat, along with a know-it-all chess playing computer visiting each planet and the moons that surround them.
There are some very detailed and nifty illustrations that make the solar system accessible to people who love space or who might be new to the show. The images are clear and the wording scientific but not academic or really over the head of readers (ages 10 to 14 would be the best fit, but it could also be used for older students struggling with the subject or who need something to help clarify a more academic text).
Introduction by Phil Plait.