United States - 20th Century - History, Astronauts & Space Flight, Astronomy, Scientists, Naturalists & Engineers - Biography

Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon

Name: Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon
Author: Richard Hilliard
ISBN: 9781590782934

by Richard Hilliard

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Overview

Here is the exciting story of Apollo 11 and the three men who made the historic flight to the moon: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. When they were boys, each had dreamed of flying planes. Their dreams came true when they joined the United States military, flying and testing new types of aircraft. Finally, they became members of a select group of flyers called the Astronaut Corps, which would venture into space. From Project Mercury, whose goal was to put a single astronaut in orbit, to Project Apollo, whose goal was to put an astronaut on the moon, Richard Hilliard's lively picture book, featuring simple text, bold illustrations, and informative sidebars, follows the inspiring journey of three genuine heroes.

Synopsis

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy set a goal for the nation: to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Eight years later, on July 20, 1969, the world heard Neil Armstrong announce, "The "Eagle has landed." Here is the exciting story of "Apollo 11 and the three men who made the historic flight to the moon: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. When they were boys, each had dreamed of flying planes. Their dreams came true when they joined the United States military, flying and testing new types of aircraft. Finally, they became members of a select group of flyers called the Astronaut Corps, which would venture into space. From Project Mercury, whose goal was to put a single astronaut in orbit, to Project Apollo, whose goal was to put an astronaut on the moon, Richard Hilliard's lively picture book, featuring, a simple text, bold illustrations, and informative sidebars, follows the inspiring journey of three genuine heroes.

About the Author, Richard Hilliard

Richard Hilliard is the author and illustrator of Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon, an IRA Notable Children’s Book and a James Madison Award nominee.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

At the heart of Hilliard's debut children's book is NASA's historic Apollo 11 mission, involving Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins; during that flight, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon. The opening picture of young Neil playing with a wooden airplane gives a nod to the men's childhood dreams; on the next spread, readers learn that all three went on to become pilots in the U.S. military and members of the Astronaut Corps. The author's focus then shifts to the NASA projects (Mercury, Gemini, the early stages of Apollo) and the training programs that paved the way for the moon-landing mission. Sidebar panels offer concise details of the NASA programs, spacecraft and astronauts. Kids will surely feel a rush of excitement as the Saturn V rocket blasts off from Cape Kennedy, a triumphant moment vividly portrayed at close range in an energy-filled painting. The author quotes Armstrong's familiar pronouncement when the Lunar Module reaches the moon's surface ("The Eagle has landed"), yet curiously omits the dramatic words the astronaut made as he took his first step on the moon. Overall, Hilliard provides a diverting journey for armchair astronauts. Ages 8-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Despite the title's implied promise of an up-close-and-personal slant on the Apollo 11 mission, Hilliard goes where many have gone before, delivering a standard account of the early space program's achievements. Not only is that account too skimpy to include Armstrong's "One small step" comment or to note that the infamous "Vomit Comet" has been retired, but it also contains such awkwardly phrased lines as, "Nearly running out of fuel, Neil and Buzz found a safe place to land," and is matched to painted art that features lumpy, ineptly modeled faces, along with a schmaltzy scene of a worker weeping over the burnt-out shell of Apollo 1. Next to the likes of Mary Ann Fraser's One Giant Leap (Holt, 1999) or Alexandra Siy's Footprints on the Moon (Charlesbridge, 2001), this one isn't likely to leave the launch pad.-John Peters, New York Public Library Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.