Neil Armstrong, the famous astronaut, looks calm and collected on the cover of this biography from the “Rookie Biographies” series. Armstrong was a good student and a great reader when in school. His dreams took him, and the world, into outer space in 1969. He became the first person to walk on the surface of the moon. The book shows him as a child, a college student, a young test pilot, a married man with family, an astronaut, and an older man. Even after he retired he remained active as a public speaker, teacher and lecturer. Although he is no longer living, his historic flight’s landing craft can be seen in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Colored photographs of Armstrong and different space vehicles are presented for young readers to examine closely. Young readers will enjoy the close-up photographs depicting this man’s life and the new world of space he opened for all of us. Included at the end of the book is a Glossary, a poem about Armstrong, a “Facts for Now” section, and encouraging words for young would-be explorers of new frontiers. Other famous people depicted in the series include Martin Luther King Jr, Amelia Earhart, Jackie Robinson, and Barack Obama Reviewer: Enid Portnoy; Ages 7 to 10.

These short "Rookie Biographies" are perfect for emergent readers. They feature people in the news as well as famous men and women of the past. It is pretty amazing to think that your footprints are still up there on the moon's surface and that they will be there long after you are gone from this world. But Neil Armstrong always wanted to explore and seemed to love speed and flying. He was a test pilot and then entered the astronaut training program. He was the first man to fly to the moon and actually walk on its surface. After leaving NASA, Armstrong taught at a university and also spent time in business. He believed in following his dreams and succeeded. There is a pictorial words to know section at the end of the text, an index and a brief blurb about the author. The phonetic spelling of certain words is embedded in the text which may or may not turn off new readers. 2003, Children's Press, Ages 5 to 7.
— Marilyn Courtot

 

Age range: 4 - 8 Years