The Children’s Book Review | July 20, 2019
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission! These incredible books will guide readers through amazing Apollo missions, inspire them with stories of the many people that make space travel possible, and shed light on Earth’s incredible moon. Prepare for takeoff …
Go for the Moon: A Rocket, a Boy, and the First Moon Landing
Written and Illustrated by Chris Gall
Publisher’s Synopsis: Written and illustrated by Chris Gall, Go for the Moon! captures the fascinating detail and inspiring adventure of the moon landing. It is a captivating celebration of one of humankind’s greatest technical achievements and most extraordinary feats of exploration.
The Apollo 11 astronauts have prepared carefully for their attempt to be the first men to land on the moon. The young narrator of this book has prepared carefully, too: he explains the design of the spacecraft, the flight from the earth to the moon, and the drama of touching down—while shadowing the astronaut’s voyage with one of his own.
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Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Roaring Brook Press | June 11, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1250155795
Moon’s First Friends: One Giant Leap for Friendship
Written by Susanna Leonard Hill
Illustrated by Elisa Paganelli
Publisher’s Synopsis: A heartwarming story of a friendship-seeking moon that also celebrates the extraordinary 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing!
From high up in the sky, the Moon has spent her whole life watching Earth and hoping for someone to visit. Dinosaurs roam, pyramids are built, and boats are made, but still no one comes. Will friends ever come visit her?
One day a spaceship soars from Earth…and so does her heart.
Includes bonus educational pages about the moon mission!
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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland | June 4, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1492656807
A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon
Written by Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison
Publisher’s Synopsis: The inspiring true story of mathematician Katherine Johnson–made famous by the award-winning film Hidden Figures–who counted and computed her way to NASA and helped put a man on the moon!
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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | March 12, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-0316435178
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Written and Illustrated by Brian Floca
Publisher’s Synopsis: Brian Floca explores Apollo 11’s famed moon landing with this newly expanded edition of Moonshot!
Simply told, grandly shown, and now with eight additional pages of brand-new art and more in-depth information about the historic moon landing, here is the flight of Apollo 11. Here for a new generation of readers and explorers are the steady astronauts clicking themselves into gloves and helmets, strapping themselves into sideways seats. Here are their great machines in all their detail and monumentality, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a story of adventure and discovery—a story of leaving and returning during the summer of 1969, and a story of home, seen whole, from far away.
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Ages 4+ | Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books | April 9, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1534440302
The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean
Written by Dean Robbins
Illustrated by
Publisher’s Synopsis: Journey to the moon on the Apollo 12 mission with Alan Bean, the fourth astronaut to walk on the lunar surface and the only artist to paint its beauty firsthand!
As a boy, Alan wanted to fly planes. As a young navy pilot, Alan wished he could paint the view from the cockpit. So he took an art class to learn patterns and forms. But no class could prepare him for the beauty of the lunar surface some 240,000 miles from Earth. In 1969, Alan became the fourth man and first artist on the moon. He took dozens of pictures, but none compared to what he saw through his artistic eyes. When he returned to Earth, he began to paint what he saw. Alan’s paintings allowed humanity to experience what it truly felt like to walk on the moon. Journalist and storyteller Dean Robbins’s tale of this extraordinary astronaut is masterful, and artist Sean Rubin’s illustrations are whimsical and unexpected. With back matter that includes photos of the NASA mission, images of Alan’s paintings, and a timeline of lunar space travel, this is one adventure readers won’t want to miss!
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Ages 4+ | Publisher: Orchard Books | May 28, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1338259537
Moon! Earth’s Best Friend
Written by Stacy McAnulty
Illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Publisher’s Synopsis: From writer Stacy McAnulty and illustrator Stevie Lewis, Moon! Earth’s Best Friend is a light-hearted nonfiction picture book about the formation and history of the moon―told from the perspective of the moon itself.
Meet Moon! She’s more than just a rock―she’s Earth’s rock, her best friend she can always count on. Moon never turns her back on her friend (literally: she’s always facing Earth with the same side!). These two will stick together forever. With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Moon in this next celestial “autobiography” in the Our Universe series. Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by Stevie Lewis, this is an equally charming and irresistible companion to Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years and Sun! One in a Billion.
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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. | June 11, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1250199348
To the Moon and Back: My Apollo 11 Adventure
Written by Buzz Aldrin and Marianne Dyson
Illustrated by Bruce Foster
Publisher’s Synopsis: In celebration of the Apollo 11 Mission’s 50th Anniversary, experience the awe and excitement of humankind’s first steps on the moon! In this exclusive, exquisite pop-up adventure, readers follow astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s story as he encounters the “magnificent desolation” of Earth’s only satellite firsthand.
Preeminent paper engineer Bruce Foster brings to life what it was like to blast off into space and take the first steps on the moon through intricate pop-ups and paper folds.
Including Buzz Aldrin’s firsthand accounts of the mission, historical context, stunning images, and unique personal perspectives, this book is an informative and collectible work of art–perfect for budding astronauts and grandparents hoping to share their memories of the moon landing with the young explorers in their lives.
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Ages 8-12 | Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books | October 16, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1426332494
Rocket to the Moon!: Big Ideas That Changed the World
Written and Illustrated by Don Brown
Publisher’s Synopsis: 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.
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Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Harry N. Abrams | March 5, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1419734045
Destination Moon: The Remarkable and Improbable Voyage of Apollo 11
Written by Richard Maurer
Publisher’s Synopsis: The history of NASA’s Apollo program from Earth orbital missions to lunar landings in a propulsive nonfiction narrative.
Only now, it is becoming clear how exceptional and unrepeatable Apollo was. At its height, it employed almost half a million people, many working seven days a week and each determined that “it will not fail because of me.”
Beginning with fighter pilots in World War II, Maurer traces the origins of the Apollo program to a few exceptional soldiers, a Nazi engineer, and a young eager man who would become president.
Packed with adventure, new stories about familiar people, and undeniable danger, Destination Moontakes an unflinching look at a tumultuous time in American history, told expertly by nonfiction author Richard Maurer.
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Ages 10-14 | Publisher: Roaring Brook Press | June 11, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1626727458
Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut’s Story
Written by Michael Collins
Publisher’s Synopsis: In time for the 50th anniversary of man’s first landing on the moon, this re-release of Michael Collins’s autobiography is a bold, sparkling testament to exploration and perseverance.
In this captivating account, space traveler Collins recalls his early days as an Air Force test pilot, his training at NASA, and his unparalleled experiences in orbit, including the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar landing. The final chapter to this autobiography is an exciting and convincing argument in favor of mankind’s continued exploration of our universe.
Originally published in 1976 and updated for this new edition, including an introduction from astronaut Scott Kelly, Collins’s voice and message are sure to resonate with a new generation of readers.
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Ages 12+ | Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux | May 28, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-0374312022
Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
Written by Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
Publishers Synopsis: Powerful free verse and stunning illustrations tell the true story of the American effort to land the first man on the Moon.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would try to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. During the two thousand nine hundred and seventy-nine days following his speech, eighteen astronauts climbed into spaceships; three of them died before even leaving the ground. Eight rockets soared into space. And four hundred thousand people―engineers, technicians, scientists, mathematicians, and machinists―joined Project Apollo in hopes of making the dream a reality.
Award-winning author and mechanical engineer Suzanne Slade joins up with New York Times best-selling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez to tell the powerful story of the successes, failures, triumphs, tragedies, and lessons from Apollos 1 through 10 that led to the first Moon landing.
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Ages 10-14 | Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company | September 1, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1682630136
The article 11 Kids Books Celebrating Moon Landings, Apollo Missions, and More was curated by Bianca Schulze. For similar books and articles, follow along with our content tagged with Astronaut Books, Books About The Moon, Science, and Space Exploration.
