David Bowie’s 1969 space rock single “Space Oddity” has been turned into a picture book, ostensibly for children, by graphic artist Andrew Kolb.
The song was Bowie’s first UK top 5 hit, and his first to feature the character Major Tom, a fictional astronaut. It was released 10 days before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.
But “Space Oddity” is a bleak track, as Major Tom ends up floating off into space with the words “Tell my wife I love her very much”, the haunting reply “She knows!” being the final message he receives from ground control. As much as children have a tendency to gravitate towards dark subject matter, perhaps give the book a read-through before sharing it with your kids!
David Bowie passed away on Sunday at 69, after a battle with cancer. He was rumoured to read as much as a book a day.
View the book, and scroll to the end for a video version animated by Andrew Ruttan:
If you prefer, view a Flickr album:
Or watch the video:
Space Oddity from Andrew Ruttan on Vimeo.
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David Bowie's Space Oddity, the children's book