Moon and Space Nonfiction (Primary)

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stasia Burrington. Young Mae Jemison's parents encourage her dreams of being an astronaut, but her teacher suggests that Mae consider becoming a nurse instead. Inspired by the childhood of the first African American woman in space, this fictionalized picture book should inspire young readers to believe in and work hard for their dreams despite obstacles. The ink and digital illustrations capture Mae's enthusiasm and determination. Author's note included.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Brundage. Retired astronaut Anderson introduces readers to a surprisingly detailed alphabet book of space terms. Each letter introduces a concept related to astronautics via a brief poem with sometimes forced rhymes and meter. Readers seeking elaboration can consult the paragraphs of additional information included with each letter. Brundage's richly colored, realistic illustrations complement the text, which invites repeated perusals and reading aloud.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Wendell Minor. Aldrin presents an overview of the space program, including what might lie ahead for missions to the Moon and Mars. What makes this contribution unique is its narrator: Aldrin's first-person account establishes his connections to the people and events--a touch that may inspire readers themselves to become part of the story someday. Minor's finely detailed illustrations match the personal-narrative tone. Timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk. In straightforward text with a folksy refrain of "count on me," this picture book biography introduces the life of math genius, NASA computer, and Hidden Figures notable Katherine Johnson, culminating in her Apollo 13 triumph. Phumiruk's illustrations, created in Photoshop with scans of watercolors and textures, are clean and precise; small figures give way to a dramatic close-up of Johnson calculating the safe flight path home. Bib.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Wimmer. This picture book collaboration successfully captures the tension, excitement, and national pride as Armstrong and Aldrin descend the ladder of the Eagle onto the surface of the moon. Wimmer's rich oils and broad palette provide spot-on drama for Burleigh's poetic text. An author's note underscores the achievement and its history while speculating about future space exploration.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Secrets of American History series. Illustrated by Valerio Fabbretti. The lively easy-reader series about American history continues to offer beginning readers entertaining and lesser-known facts surrounding popular topics. This edition features stories about the Space Race; secret satellites; and early research about living in space and the effect of gravity on human bodies. Fabbretti's amusing cartoonlike illustrations add an extra level of kid-friendly interest. Facts and a quiz are appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 In this visually sublime, thoroughly researched picture book, Floca selects details to transform science into relatable experience. Throughout, Floca engages readers with his spare lyricism and with the artistry of his watercolor and ink illustrations. He uses the format to perfection, with large pictures to communicate size, power, and perspective; sequenced panels to show steps unfolding; and vignettes to catch particular moments. This edition has been expanded for the fiftieth anniversary of the first moon landing. Timeline.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009

(3) K-3 In 1969, a young boy (who we later learn is the author) excitedly recounts each thrilling moment of the Apollo 11 mission. The main illustrations feature detailed schematics of the mission spacecraft, its astronauts, and their moon walk, while smaller insets show us the boy as he sends off his model rocket, plays in his capsule-themed tent, and watches the mission on television. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christy Lundy. Apollo 8 was the first mission to orbit the moon, but it also gave us the first photograph of Earth from space. In lyrical picture-book text, Gladstone explains how the now-iconic image, taken by astronaut Bill Anders in 1968, conveyed a message of unity to a world in turmoil. Lundy's stylish illustrations feature the hues and fashions of the time; the original Earthrise photo is included at book's end.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Brundage. A cumulative tale modeled after "The House That Jack Built" depicts the journey of the first three astronauts who traveled to the moon on Apollo 11. Additional bulleted facts accompany the author's lyrical, descriptive verses up to the welcome afforded the heroic travelers upon returning home. Brundage's cool palette enhances a mainly night-set story well-suited to bedtime reading. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Christian Birmingham. Haddon recounts his boyhood experience of watching the Apollo moon landing. His lyrical third-person narrative captures the wonder of the time. Birmingham's fuzzy, luminous pastel illustrations match the nostalgic text, though the reminiscent perspective verges on self-indulgent and creates an odd distance between reader and story. Three wordless double-page spreads display the lunar landscape.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke. "Nation watching, / bated breath. / Eagle landing-- / life or death." Brief rhyming couplets tell the historic story of Apollo 11's 1969 moon landing mission. Blocky stylized illustrations, simplified down to the bare basics, capture atmosphere, import, and emotion. An author's note provides context. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Rieley. This verse picture-book biography of Raye Montague (1935–2018) seems tailor-made for kids not quite ready for Hidden Figures. Montague was an African American female engineer who was doubly discriminated against along the way to designing the first ship by computer in 1971. The art is tastefully cartoony, and the rhymes have a vigor that makes up for the occasional word-contortion. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lucy Knisley. This accessible picture-book biography presents early NASA computer programmer Margaret Hamilton as an inquisitive child, an ambitious young woman, and ultimately a successful software engineer who is so adept at computer coding that she saved the Apollo 11 mission from disaster. Comics-style illustrations should engage young readers (science-loving or not); photographs on the back endpapers add a fascinating intimate touch. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Kim. Whimsy and science blend smoothly in this combination bedtime story and astronomy book. As a girl gazes at the sky from bed, the moon lyrically describes its activities: "Spin like a twilight ballerina" is turning on its axis, and so on. Luminous acrylic and digital illustrations enhance the text, with the fanciful phrasing on the left and moon facts on the right-hand sides of the spreads. Reading list. Glos.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Freeman. With Winifred Conkling. A serviceable introduction to four African American women mathematicians who, despite discrimination, played vital roles for the U.S. in the 1960s space race. Although the illustrations are static, their rich, saturated colors provide interest. Shetterly's (author of the adult title, the basis for the movie) text barely scratches the surface of the women's stories, but she strives admirably to place their accomplishments within historical context. Timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Simon's well-organized and informative account of Apollo 11 is situated in the politics, science, and technology of the mid-twentieth-century space race. He shows how technological advancements in the Mercury, Gemini, and early Apollo missions set the stage for the moon landing, and then, accompanied by a series of excellent photographs and astronaut quotes, recounts the landing itself. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. In 1953, Katherine Johnson started work as a "computer," or mathematician, for what would become NASA. During her career, Johnson calculated Alan Shepard’s First-American-in-Space flight path, John Glenn’s First-American-to-Orbit-Earth trajectory, and Apollo 11’s Race-to-the-Moon-and-Back flight path. Inspiring, upbeat, and clever, Slade's text highlights the racism, sexism, and other false beliefs that Johnson confronted. Equations, angles, and diagrams fill Miller Jamison's expressive, layered illustrations. Images of Johnson's work are appended. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alan Marks. Slade uses the moon's unique vantage to celebrate the twelve men who have walked on its surface, some of whose names will likely be new to readers. Watercolor illustrations capture the moon's rocky surface and other small details, the most poignant being the faces of the three Apollo 13 astronauts whose lunar mission was aborted. Extensive endnotes and photographs add richness. Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Iris Deppe. Soviet dogs Belka and Strelka became, in 1960, among the first animals to return, alive, from orbital flight. Southgate and Deppe tell and show their story with suspense, enthusiasm, and little anthropomorphism. The automatically appealing narrative is bolstered by useful scientific facts ("Strelka's puppies prove spaceflight is not harmful"). With a zip equal to the story, the pictures use well-outlined, simple forms in depicting the dogs in various visual configurations. Timeline.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amanda Haley. This overview of space for young readers begins with the lunar basics and expands to include the history (and possible future) of space travel. Ziefert carries the playful tone through all four chapters, balancing factual information with poems and humorous turns of phrase. Haley's loose-lined watercolors add lightness and movement. A table of contents and discussion questions are included.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby