Several publishers are issuing children's books this season in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11
moon landing. Here are some that shine.
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Brian Floca
. Atheneum/Jackson
, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4169-5046-2
Floca's rendition of Apollo 11
's journey to the moon is as poetic as it is historically resonant. The first page offers a quiet meditation: “High above/ there is the Moon,/ cold and quiet,/ no air, no life,/ but glowing in the sky,” followed by the astronauts preparing for the voyage and then a dramatic liftoff (“The rocket is released!”). Once in space, the lunar module, Eagle
—“a stranger ship, more bug than bird,/ a black and gold and folded spider”—locks onto the Columbia
. The subdued illustrations hold an undercurrent of emotion (as a family hears the report that the Eagle
has landed safely, the father wipes his eyes with awe and relief). A stirring depiction of a momentous event. Ages 4–7. (Apr.)
