Moonshot

Starred review from March 1, 2019
A fresh, expanded edition of Floca's top-drawer tribute to the first moon landing, which won a Sibert honor in 2010.New here is an early nod to the "thousands of people" who worked behind the scenes to make the mission a success (a nod echoed in the closing recap) and a much-enlarged account of Apollo 11's return flight to Earth. Both include new art: For the first, a set of vignettes clearly depicts women and people of color playing prominent roles (including a recognizable Katherine Johnson), and for the second, the 2009 original's two pages grow to eight, climaxed by a close-up of the command module Columbia's furious, fiery re-entry. The narrative, along with having expanded to match, has been lightly tweaked throughout but remains as stately and dramatic as ever: "But GO, GO, says Mission Control: / 'Eagle, Houston. You're GO for landing.' / Far from home and far from help, / still steady, steady the astronauts fly, / as time and fuel are running out." Minor changes in other illustrations and added or clarified details in the text add further life and luster to a soaring commemoration of our space program's most spectacular achievement. This is the rare revised edition that adds enough new material to demand purchase.Still essential reading, more so than ever for being broader in scope and more balanced of presentation than the original. (Informational picture book. 7-12)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from May 1, 2019
Grades K-4 *Starred Review* The original Moonshot (2009) became a bright star in the constellation of children's space-travel books. Published on the fortieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, it told how astronauts traveled to the moon, walked on its surface for the first time, and returned to Earth. For 10 years, this Sibert Honor Book has wowed its audience. How is the revised edition different? The text is more inclusive (no longer implying that only men worked in NASA's control room) and more expressive, through better placement of phrases on the page. Eight new pages offer room for two worthwhile additions. First, an early double-page spread acknowledges and depicts racially diverse groups of individuals representing the thousands of men and women who planned the mission, designed and built the spacecraft, made the spacesuits, and so on. Later, six new pages allow for a fuller portrayal of the mission, including the night spent on the moon, Eagle's crucial docking with Columbia, and the capsule's dramatic reentry into Earth's atmosphere. The new illustrations in this section work beautifully with the well-chosen words. Telling the Apollo 11 story more fully while recognizing the contributions of women and minorities, here's an engaging, enlightening, and timely new edition of this visually stunning book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

May 4, 2009
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.

July 1, 2019
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.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)