If you have a good space-themed story for kids, then Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques wants to read it from the International Space Station.

The Canadian Space Agency is asking Canadians to submit their stories as part of a contest. The best stories will be published in an e-book, and some of them will be read aloud by Saint-Jacques and broadcast back to Earth.

The contest, which runs until Dec. 31, is open to all Canadians over the age of nine.

Saint-Jacques kicked off the competition Tuesday by reading a children’s story from the space station to a group of children from his old elementary school. Students from Saint-Lambert, Que. wore pajamas and gathered around a large screen to watch the astronaut’s zero-gravity reading.

The story, titled “The Explorers Club,” follows a group of children who build a rocket and blast into space with their pet dog. The book was written by the Canadian Space Agency and features Saint-Jacques, who helps the kids and their dog safely return back to earth using the Canadarm.

The astronaut greeted the children upside down and gave a lively performance filled with cartoonish voices and sound effects meant to imitate everything from a dog to an explosion.

After finishing the story, children were given the chance to ask Saint-Jacques some questions. One student asked whether or not the astronauts can see pollution from space. Yes, Saint-Jacques said, particularly the big grey clouds over cities and the planet’s shrinking glaciers.

Asked if he’ll celebrate Christmas in space, Saint-Jacques replied that he and his fellow astronauts will share special food from home and use special binoculars to watch Santa make his deliveries.

The writing contest is open to original, unpublished children’s stories that include space as a theme. There are also word limits: submissions from authors aged nine to 12 must run between 200 and 400 words, authors between the ages of 13 and 15 can use between 400 and 700 words, and authors older than 15 have between 700 and 1,000 words.

Original artwork can be submitted with the story. One winning English story and one winning French story will be selected from each age group.