Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon

Kuhlmann’s Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse is a hard act to follow, but this companion book doesn’t disappoint. Its young mouse hero is plagued by difficulties from the moment he resolves to explore space. Although he finds an ally in an elderly mouse at the Smithsonian (the mouse from Lindbergh grown old, readers will conclude), he loses his workshop and most of his designs in a fire, then has to elude G-men in fedoras who pursue him on arson charges. The agents and their German shepherds are on the mouse’s heels as he launches his tin-can rocket through the chimney. His mission is a success, though only the mice know about it—until human astronauts land on the moon and discover a tiny flag. As with the previous book, Kuhlmann’s artwork is the real star. Every spread is drafted with remarkable imaginative power (the mouse’s handsewn spacesuit enchants, as does an early experimental vessel, a firecracker attached to a roller skate), while the space scenes are NASA-worthy. This adventure will easily win Kuhlmann even more fans. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)