Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11

Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11
by Brian Floca

Forty five years ago today, Columbia orbited the moon, while after a precarious descent the Eagle landed on the lunar surface. With the words "Houston. Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." we truly became a spacefaring civilization.

The world eagerly watched as mission commander Neil Armstrong and LEM pilot Buzz Aldrin took those first tentative steps onto humanity's first other world.

Meanwhile aboard the command module Columbia, CM pilot Michael Collins was the loneliest man who had ever been. He framed the whole of humanity within the lens of his camera and flew alone, above the moon.

Brian Floca's Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 is a gorgeous, moving, and eloquent homage to those brave men who, ignoring their own comfort and safety, joined the ranks of our greatest explorers - Columbus, Magellan, and Gagarin - and broadened the horizons of our species. Once again, Brian Floca has delivered a masterpiece of technical detail and accuracy. His elaborate and beautifully rendered watercolors capture both the details of the equipment and the real emotions of the astronauts (during the countdown sequence, we see Michael Collins look anxiously to his side). Floca's elegant prose captures

the excitement of the Apollo XI mission. This book  kept me on the edge of my seat and gave me goosebumps.

I can think of no better way to share my awe for the majesty of human space flight with my son than by reading him Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11.

Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11
by Brian Floca

Rosie Revere, Engineer

Rosie Revere, Engineer

by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Rosie Revere, with her hair tucked into a red polka dot kerchief, has a secret. In her spare time, she's constantly on the look out for discarded trash that she can use in her latest invention. She builds delightful things like snake repelling hats and helium pants (my personal favorite), but she mistakes delighted laughter for contempt.

When her great-great-aunt Rose (also in a polka dot kerchief) comes to visit, Rosie is inspired by their common love machines and adventures (hint: great-great-Aunt Rose used to be a riveter, during the war). With the following Seussian words from great-great-Aunt Rose, Rosie learns that every apparent failure is just an opportunity to learn something new and try a different approach.

Life might have its failures, but this was not it.
The only true failure can come if you quit.

By the end of Rosie Revere, Engineer, Rosie's entire class has become a community of makers, working and learning together, building great gizmos, gadgets, and doohickeys.

Andrea Beaty's lyrical poetry is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss and is an absolute delight to read. David Roberts fantastically expressive illustrations make this a very visually pleasing book, with plenty of laughs. Enjoy!

Rosie Revere, Engineer, by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts