Rocket to the Moon!: Big Ideas That Changed the World #1

by Don Brown

Overview

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” when the Apollo 11 landed on the moon. But it wasn’t just one man who got us to the moon. Rocket to the Moon! explores the people and technology that made the moon landing possible. Instead of examining one person’s life, it focuses on the moon landing itself, showing the events leading up to it and how it changed the world. The book takes readers through the history of rocket building: from ancient Chinese rockets, to “bombs bursting in air” during the War of 1812, to Russia’s Sputnik program, to the moon landing. Beautifully illustrated and well-researched, this book is the perfect resource for curious readers and tomorrow’s scientists. It includes a timeline of space travel, a bibliography, and an index.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683354802
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	03/05/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	GN940L (what's this?)
File size:	183 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Don Brown is the award-winning author and illustrator of many picture-book biographies. His books have been given a Sibert Medal and an Orbis Pictus Award, among other awards and notice. He lives in Merrick, New York.

Editorial Reviews

"A broad yet eye-opening tribute to the astronauts' achievements . . . The Big Ideas That Changed the World series is off to a promising start with this illuminating, cogent volume."

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Brown uses his characteristic watercolors and mix of explanation and primary source quotes to balance art and science . . . The illustrations keep pace with the story and maintain the reader’s interest throughout."

School Library Connection

"Engaging . . . [Brown] peppers the oft-told tale with details that don’t always make it to the textbooks."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A broad yet eye-opening tribute to the astronauts' achievements . . . The Big Ideas That Changed the World series is off to a promising start with this illuminating, cogent volume."

Booklist

★ 02/01/2019

Gr 3–7—Brown's new graphic nonfiction series follows a "big idea" from conception to fruition. This first installment starts with early rocket science, details the Apollo 11 mission, and ends with Gene Cernan, the 12th and last (so far) Earthling to walk on the moon. Early 20th-century daredevil Rod Lawman narrates, providing commentary and keeping the tone light, like Nathan Hale in the "Hazardous Tale" series. Much of the dialogue is direct quotations, cited in the endnotes. Brown addresses information that's sometimes omitted from children's texts: only men were considered for the early astronaut programs, people and animals died in rocket tests and space flights, and Wernher von Braun forced concentration camp prisoners to build rockets for the Nazis before he surrendered to the Americans. Explosions feature in many of the dynamic illustrations, as rockets were just as likely to blow up as they were to take off, and readers will be amused by frank descriptions about dealing with bodily functions on early space missions. Back matter includes a time line of spaceflight and rockets and information on Rodman Law. VERDICT A must for youth graphic collections.—Kacy Helwick, New Orleans Public Library

School Library Journal