The First Moon Landing

Tells the story of the Apollo 11 mission, including the first moon landing in 1969. Written in graphic-novel format.

Author: Thomas K. Adamson
Illustrator: Gordon Purcell & Terry Beatty
Age Range: 8 +
Grade Level: 3rd - 4th grade
Lexile Measure: GN 630L
Series: Graphic History
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736896546
ISBN-13: 978-0736896542
Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 7 x 9 inches

"This new title in the Capstone Graphic Library series presents the drama of the first Moon landing and includes authentic astronaut-mission control conversations and detailed illustrations. Using bold, full-color graphic illustrations, this series portrays critical chapters in American history in a way that reluctant readers will find accessible. Simple, exciting text and vivid drawings work together to explain critical events that shaped the course of American history. For grades 3 and 4."
--Lunar & Planetary Information Bulletin, Lunar & Planetary Institute; Issue 109; February 2007

"When the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space in 1957, many Americans felt let down. They wanted to see their country make a mark in the field of space exploration too. America made its first major space breakthrough in 1961 when Alan Shepherd became the first American and second human to go into space. President Kennedy was keen to see America do something important in what came to be called the race into space, and later in 1961, in a speech to Congress, Kennedy expressed his hope that America would land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. By December 1968, NASA had managed to get astronauts around the moon and back in the Apollo 8 mission. It was an enormous achievement and it was decided that if Apollo Missions 9 and 10 went well, NASA would attempt a moon landing. Both missions went perfectly and Apollo 11 was scheduled for July 1969. Thus it was that Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong were ready and well rehearsed when they climbed aboard their spacecraft on July 16th, 1969. Five hundred million people around he world people watched as the Saturn V rocket blasted off at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On July 20th Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon and history was made. This book will give young readers a very real picture of what took place before, during, and after the historic first moon landing. Readers will see that there was a quite a rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States which drove both countries to try to outdo one another in the race into space. An easy to follow text presented in a graphic novel format rich with illustrations makes this the prefect book for readers who prefer books with lots of artwork. This is one of large collection of titles in the Graphic Library series published by Capstone Press."
--Through the Looking Glass Childrens Book Review, June 2007

"This addition to Capstones Graphic Library series presents the drama of the first moon landing, complete with authentic astronaut-mission control talk and detailed illustrations, and a map at the back showing the locations of the six moon landings. Makes me want to go bust out the telescope to see if I can get a closeup of the landing sites. My one issue with this book, and maybe it couldnt really be avoided given the times and the subject matter, but in the whole book there are only two women portrayed, both mothers at home on the living room sofa with husband and son, making rather shallow observations of what theyre watching on TV. Could the moms not have made the science-based answers to their sons questions? And why isnt one of these kids a girl? Other than that gender bias, this is a great book and will certainly be a popular resource for students learning about the early years of the Unites States space program."
--Smart Writers Journal, October 2006