It’s one of those books that combines fiction with non-fiction:  on one level it a a fictional picture book telling the story of a dog who is invited to visit the international space station as part of a program to honor Laika, the Russian dog who was the first living creature to travel in space.  As the story goes along describing Max’s fictional training and experiences on his adventure, extensive sidebars on each page describe the facts supporting/inspiring that part of the story.  The illustrations are detailed and realistic, contributing to the educational nature of the story.