Rocket to the Moon!: Big Ideas That Changed the World #1

by Don Brown

Overview

Award-winning author/illustrator Don Brown explores the history of rocket building in this installment of the Big Ideas That Changed the World graphic novel series.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong said those iconic words when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. But it wasn’t just one man who got us to the moon—there was a whole team of people, plus centuries of discoveries and technologies that came before that made it possible.

From ancient Chinese rockets to the first steps on the moon, Rocket to the Moon! Reveals which “bombs bursting in air” inspired the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” why the Russians wanted to launch a dog into Earth’s atmosphere, and how exactly astronauts are able to go to the bathroom while in a rocket far off in space!

Big Ideas That Changed the World is a graphic novel series that celebrates the hard-won succession of ideas that ultimately changed the world. Humor, drama, and art unite to tell the story of events, discoveries, and ingenuity over time that led humans to come up with a big idea and then make it come true.

Big Ideas That Changed the World series:
Rocket to the Moon! (#1)
Machines That Think! (#2)
A Shot in the Arm! (#3)
We the People! (#4)
All Charged Up! (#5)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419734045
Publisher:	Abrams Fanfare
Publication date:	03/05/2019
Series:	Big Ideas That Changed the World
Pages:	136
Sales rank:	325,519
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	GN940L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Don Brown is the award-winning author and illustrator of many nonfiction graphic novels and picture books. His books have been called “masterful” and “a must for youth graphic collections.” Brown has received an Eisner nomination, two Sibert Honors, a Horn Book Best Book honor, a YALSA award, and multiple starred reviews, among other awards and notices. He lives in Hudson Valley, New York, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

04/08/2019

Launching the Big Ideas that Changed the World series, Brown’s historical graphic novel is narrated by Rodman Law, a daredevil in 1913 New Jersey, who frames the story after describing his own feats of parachuting and attempts to fly a rocket. Law provides a history of the discoveries that would enable space travel, the space race, and the (sometimes tragic) experimental missions that paved the way for Apollo 11. In pen-and-ink panels, Brown depicts such moments as Apollo 8 circling the moon, Apollo 11’s liftoff, and somewhat less heroic occurrences (“Get me a napkin quick. There’s a turd floating in the air,” says one Apollo 10 astronaut to another). Successive panels and spreads depict the Eagle’s landing and Armstrong and Aldrin’s first steps on the moon. Brown’s visual storytelling offers humor, vibrancy, and a wealth of historical insight. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A broad yet eye-opening tribute to the astronauts' achievements . . . The Big Ideas That Changed the World series is off to a promising start with this illuminating, cogent volume."

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Brown uses his characteristic watercolors and mix of explanation and primary source quotes to balance art and science . . . The illustrations keep pace with the story and maintain the reader’s interest throughout."

School Library Connection

"Engaging . . . [Brown] peppers the oft-told tale with details that don’t always make it to the textbooks."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Keeping the tone light and offering nods as he goes to historical figures . . . he focuses on technological advances that made space travel possible and on the awesome, sustained effort that brought President John F. Kennedy's "Big Idea" to fruition . . . A frank, often funny appreciation of our space program's high-water mark.”—Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Brown addresses information that’s sometimes omitted from children’s texts: only men were considered for the early astronaut programs, people and animals died in rocket tests and space flights, and Wernher von Braun forced concentration camp prisoners to build rockets for the Nazis before he surrendered to the Americans . . . A must for youth graphic collections."—School Library Journal

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Brown uses his characteristic watercolors and mix of explanation and primary source quotes to balance art and science . . . The illustrations keep pace with the story and maintain the reader’s interest throughout."—School Library Connection

"A broad yet eye-opening tribute to the astronauts' achievements . . . The Big Ideas That Changed the World series is off to a promising start with this illuminating, cogent volume."—Booklist

"Engaging . . . [Brown] peppers the oft-told tale with details that don’t always make it to the textbooks."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Brown’s visual storytelling offers humor, vibrancy, and a wealth of historical insight."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

"A broad yet eye-opening tribute to the astronauts' achievements . . . The Big Ideas That Changed the World series is off to a promising start with this illuminating, cogent volume."

Booklist

★ 02/01/2019

Gr 3–7—Brown's new graphic nonfiction series follows a "big idea" from conception to fruition. This first installment starts with early rocket science, details the Apollo 11 mission, and ends with Gene Cernan, the 12th and last (so far) Earthling to walk on the moon. Early 20th-century daredevil Rod Lawman narrates, providing commentary and keeping the tone light, like Nathan Hale in the "Hazardous Tale" series. Much of the dialogue is direct quotations, cited in the endnotes. Brown addresses information that's sometimes omitted from children's texts: only men were considered for the early astronaut programs, people and animals died in rocket tests and space flights, and Wernher von Braun forced concentration camp prisoners to build rockets for the Nazis before he surrendered to the Americans. Explosions feature in many of the dynamic illustrations, as rockets were just as likely to blow up as they were to take off, and readers will be amused by frank descriptions about dealing with bodily functions on early space missions. Back matter includes a time line of spaceflight and rockets and information on Rodman Law. VERDICT A must for youth graphic collections.—Kacy Helwick, New Orleans Public Library

School Library Journal