From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 1-4–A readable autobiography by the
Apollo 11 astronaut who was the second man to walk on the Moon. Aldrin recounts episodes in his life that influenced his choice to become part of the space program. He briefly describes how he got his nickname and incidents from his childhood; his first airplane ride; his time at West Point and as an Air Force pilot; joining NASA; and his missions in the Gemini and Apollo programs, including the lunar landing. Although he strains at times to make a connection between his experiences and his character (e.g., riding his bike alone across the George Washington Bridge as evidence of his ability to do things himself), overall, the telling is entertaining and informative. A chronology of milestones in the history of flight is appended. Excellent, realistic paintings help describe the events mentioned in the text. Those depicting the space flights are particularly dramatic. Similar in style to Ann Turner's
Abe Lincoln Remembers (HarperCollins, 2001), also illustrated by Minor, this book should be considered a first purchase.
–Jeffrey A. French, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Gr. 2-4. In this picture book, Aldrin, the second man to step foot on the moon, relates the life events that led him to the space program and his assignment on Apollo 11. In straightforward language, he recounts his boyhood, college at West Point, early flight training, and admission to the space program. Periodically, the facts of Aldrin's life are supplemented by some unexpected details that give a sense of what space travel feels like. He says, for example, that the liftoff of the powerful Saturn V rockets was so gentle "that if I had not been looking at the instruments, I would never have known we were on our way." He ends by connecting his boyhood interest in rock collecting with his primary activity while on the moon: picking up rocks. Minor's colorful and precisely rendered illustrations help this effort really take off, especially in the images of Aldrin's space journeys. A brief chronology, which blends events in the history of flight and space exploration with a few events of Aldrin's life, rounds out this solid title.
Todd MorningCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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