Who Was Neil Armstrong?

My son and I enjoyed another "Who Was?" biography about the first person to set foot on the moon. Armstrong was always a private person so he was harder to feel like you knew anything about him compared with Buzz Aldrin and other more outgoing astronauts. This book fills in the details such as his early love for flying and becoming a pilot at a young age. There's also the sad story of his daughter dying at the age of two, something that Armstrong never spoke about. This is a good bio for children (and their parents) wanting to learn about the man who took "one small step" and changed the world.

I enjoyed this book for two reasons. First, the author’s writing is engaging. I liked how the author wrote about Neil Armstrong in a story-like fashion rather than stating endless, seemingly random and useless facts about Neil Armstrong. Most informational or biography books I have read contain writing that is similar to a textbook’s and are overloaded with information, but this book discussed aspects other than just facts about the topic. The author actually mentioned how Neil Armstrong felt; his thoughts and fears during his journey. The second reason I liked this book is because of the illustrations. Even though this is a chapter book, there are illustrations on almost every page alongside the substantial amount of written text. show more Additionally, the illustrations do not have a unified theme. They are placed differently among the pages, are different sizes, and are unique to fit the section of the written text they pertain to. Among some of the pages there are drawings of people, maps, airplanes, parts of spacecraft (labeled), and more. The big idea of this book is to inform readers about the life and the significance of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong. show less

I like Who Was Neil Armstrong for a couple reasons. The writing is for the large part simple and would easily be able to be understood by young readers. Even the small parts they may not understand like Aeronautic Engineering they provide a brief, kid friendly definition right after. Another thing I like about this book is the additional information it gives. Along with the biography of Neil Armstrong it also gives a bit on the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh and his flight across the Atlantic, plus more as they connect to what was happening in Neil's life at the time. I like this, it provides young readers with additional history while reading the biography. The big idea of this book is the life of Neil Armstrong, Overall I enjoy show more this book, its simple to understand, the life is that of a man who is a pioneer in space travel, and you get additional historical facts with biography. It's one I would definitely keep in my classroom. show less

Summary:
Who was Neal Armstrong? is an easy read chapter book mean for young children. This biography describes Armstrong’s life beginning with his birth Born August 5th 1930. This book gives an overview of Armstrong’s life as he leads up to the walk on the moon. On July 20th, 1969 Armstrong stepped onto the moon with an audience of about 14 million people. As a little boy, Armstrong use to build his own model planes. Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. Before becoming an astronaut. an officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the Korean War. Armstrong is a pioneer of space travel!
Personal Review: I was show more not a fan of the book, I enjoyed reading the book but thought that more background information could have been incorporated in the book. I do have to remember that this book is a children’s chapter book and needed to be age appropriate and friendly to that age group.
Classroom Extension: This would be a great book to introduce when talking about space. All children should know the pioneer of space travel.
Classroom Extension: This book would be great for a book report and be able to share with the class their project. show less

I really enjoyed this book. I liked this book for two reasons. First, the writing was organized. Each chapter lead up to Neil Armstrong arriving on the moon. The opening chapter introduces Neil's home life and where he grew up followed by his dream to become an astronaut and the steps taken to to fulfill his dreams. The illustrations are similar to Walt's chapter book. The pictures support the different stages shared throughout the book of Neil's life. The use of black and white again, gives the sense of history and an old time feel to the story helping the reader sense the importance this event has in history. The reader can take away how hard work and dedication pays off. Neil had a dream and he went for it, so pursue your passion!

This book is about a boy that turns his interest into hobbies, hobbies into dreams, and his dreams into his reality that is out of this world, literally. As the book begins, the author creates a small significant moment that defines his adulthood. Then, takes us through the life adventures and events that shaped Neil Armstrong into the man that was the first to walk on the moon. The book is relatable to many children by including all aspects of Neil’s life, the good and the bad, his humanistic flaws and accomplishments. The author also provides the reader with knowledge of other historical events and people to give the reader an adequate depiction of the culture. This book is easy to read and very interesting, and I would recommend show more this book to anyone at any age that wants to learn about the life of Neil Armstrong. show less

Who is Neil Armstrong is a quick read meant for beginning chapter book readers. It provides a surface overview of his life and the events leading up to his walk on the moon. This book is not for anyone who already knows the basic facts about Neil Armstrong, as the reading level is low and there is not a lot of detail. The drawings will help young readers break up the text, but provide little benefit or clarification. By including some photographs, this book could have been greatly improved. There were some draw diagrams which help the reader visualize the rocket and its path.

At times, the author jumps back to explain the historical events which led up to important details in Armstrong's life, but frequently she seems to include show more irrelevant or tangential details in the middle of the text. There are other sections, set apart, where she highlights other famous aviators, which was a nice addition. She skirts over historical bigotries, with one comment which explains that women were not allowed to become astronauts.

This book is intended as a very early chapter book biography, a task which it fulfills, but I would not recommend it for your library. show less