Written and illustrated by Brian Floca
My rating: ★★★★
ISBN: 978-1416950462
Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Date of publication: April 7, 2009
Age: Grades PreK - 4
Genre: Nonfiction, Poetry
Themes: rocketry, moon landing, Apollo space program,
With simple, poetic verse, the grand story is told: how Apollo 11 got to the moon and back. The rockets of Saturn V burst, machinery working in sync, to get three men traveling at amazing speeds to make the 238,000 mile trip to the lunar surface. People all across the Earth cheered as the Eagle landed. History was made.
Floca is a Caldecott winner for a reason: while the actual writing is rather simple (in a very beautiful, poetic sort of way), it's the illustrations that capture the reader's attention. They are what communicate the magnitude of the trip. Even the endpaper is filled with information and scaled drawings to help kids get a small grasp of the historical mission.
To help kids of all ages, really! One could just read the words and look at your pictures with a preschooler--or a 4th grader could use it to get needed factual information. It's that versatile. Not to mention the adults, like me, who thoroughly enjoyed it and learned some new facts. This one is definitely recommended.
Find it at your library or on Amazon
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