A gorgeous introduction to the twelve brave men who have left footprints on the moon, just in time to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing.
Suzanne Slade is a mechanical engineer who worked on Delta IV rockets for NASA. She has written more than one hundred children's books, including Dangerous Jane; Out of School and Into Nature- The Anna Comstock Story; The Inventor's Secret- What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford; Friends for Freedom- The Story of Susan B. Anthony & Frederick Douglass; and The House That George Built. Suzanne lives near Chicago.
♦ It's easy to forget the days of men on the moon were few and
over swiftly. This look at the "daring dozen" tells their stories
in brief, but with the fascination factor on full display.
Beginning with the first moon landing in 1969, Slade introduces the
Apollo astronauts, who fulfilled their tasks, be it finding a
special kind of rock or exploring the moon's topography. Nor are
the vehicles involved in the moon landings ignored: they are tucked
in the text and on full display in the backmatter, where there's
information and photos on both the spacecraft that brought the
astronauts to the moon and back and the lunar rovers and modules
that so ably assisted in the astronauts' tasks. While the
backmatter is highlighted by photographs, the text's paintings are
sweeping, capturing some of the wonder the 12 experienced as they
found themselves in an environment untested by any but themselves.
The pages depict the way several astronauts personalized their
journeys, with a flag, golf club, or photo of their family, adding
another layer to both the astronauts' and readers' experiences. An
outstanding choice for children who are just beginning to know
about moon landings and appended with enough information about each
flight so that young students may use it too.
—Booklist, starred review
Fifty years after the first moon landing, a solemn commemoration of
the Apollo 11 to 17 missions. Taking poetic license—she includes
nods to the astronauts who remained in lunar orbit and also those
aboard the nearly disastrous Apollo 13, so naming 21 in all—Slade
briefly describes in present tense each mission's discoveries and
highlights, then goes on in a separate section to offer expanded
fact summaries about each, along with describing the Apollo rockets
and vehicles. Marks' impressionistic views of our remote satellite
("A quiet place where / no wind blows, / no water flows, / no life
grows") seen from Earth and of heavily burdened astronauts bounding
across grayish-brown moonscapes beneath deep, black skies give way
in the second section to small photos, including group portraits of
each (all-white and -male) crew. Though aimed at a younger audience
than her Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon, illustrated by Thomas
Gonzalez (2018), this history takes up where that one leaves off
and so works equally well as a stand-alone tribute to the Apollo
program's achievements or as a lagniappe. An inspiring reminder
that there are footprints on the moon, addressed to readers who may
one day leave some of their own.
—Kirkus Reviews
Concise text and stunning watercolor illustrations present
information about the Apollo missions that carried twelve American
men to the surface of the moon. From Apollo 11 in 1969 to the
Apollo 17 mission ending in 1972, each journey is briefly described
focusing on its particular astronauts and goals. The artwork
effectively reflects the history of space travel laid out in the
text, but also adds grace and wonder to the stories of these men
who had a a rare and significant experience. Thirteen pages of back
matter include a note from Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the
moon, plus a timeline and detailed information about each of the
space vehicles. Every mission has its own extra page of additional
information with personnel, photos, specific dates, total time on
the moon, and surface EVA time (extravehicular activity). VERDICT:
The information about U.S. space travel, coupled with vivid
illustrations, will appeal to readers interested in astronauts and
the moon. The ample facts and data following the illustrated story
make the book effective for a wide range of ages.
—School Library Journal
In gentle vignettes, Slade describes each Apollo moon mission in
order. "Year after year the moon circles Earth./ All alone," until
one day, the Apollo 11 spacecraft appears and "finally it touches
the ground." For each mission, Mark's watercolor art captures the
majesty of space, with dramatic depictions of the spacecraft being
maneuvered and astronauts walking the moon's surface. The Apollo 13
astronauts peer anxiously through the window of their injured ship;
the Apollo 17 astronauts collet soil; and on the Apollo 14 mission,
Alan Shepard plays a round of golf on the moon's surface. A final
illustration shows two children gazing at the "steadfast moon"
through a telescope. Substantial back matter, with a timeline and
an afterword from astronaut Alan Bean, concludes this reflective
and informative portrait of the U.S. moon missions.
—Publishers Weekly, included in the 'To the Moon' roundup
celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing
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