One Giant Leap

The words and the illustrations in this spectacular book vividly capture the sense of awe and wonder of earthbound humanity around the world watched Neil Armstrong take “ . . . one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Those who watched will always know exactly where they were at that historical moment; now young readers can share in the excitement of that momentous event.

The story, etched in the memories of so many, plays out here with lyrical language and exquisite paintings that illustrate the preeminent journey of the Apollo 11 astronauts from the launch pad at Cape Kennedy to the lunar surface and the Sea of Tranquility where man’s footsteps first disturbed the dusty lunar surface.

Although primary grade young show more readers, ages six through eight, are the targeted audience, the book is likely to find a wider audience, especially among readers interested in astronauts and space exploration.

Highly recommended. show less

"One Giant Leap" is an enjoyable and informative read. It retells the events of the first moon landing, following Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. What makes this book enjoyable is that it does not just spit out facts. It talks about the awe Armstrong and Aldrin felt, the fear when it came time to take off, the excitement from those watching it from Earth. The descriptive words used throughout the book enhance it even more. It makes the reader feel more connected and invested to this event in history. This book would be best suited for middle schoolers.

Gorgeous. And carefully written text that gives lots of details I actually didn't know, but not so many a small child would be overwhelmed or bored. If you or your child has any interest at all in space exploration, this is one of the primary choices - I'm off to make sure it's on the list over in the Children's Books group.

This was a wonderful tribute to the astronauts and their part in one of the most momentous events in history. The paintings are stunning and their slightly surreal quality meshes perfectly with the event. With advanced technology practically at the fingertips of the young today, it is often difficult to impart the excitement of a moon landing, but there is just the right amount of tension in this story to do just that!

This book makes the reader feel as though he or she is in the space ship with Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as they step foot on the moon for the first time. There are many details explaining what the inside of the space ship is like, what the space suits feel like, what the moon looked like, and the events that happened on the journey to and from the moon. I would use this book when teaching about historical moments, or perhaps during a unit on outer space or the moon. Students would be very fascinated by the descriptive language and realistic images however, this is a longer book with lots of words, so I would recommend it for upper elementary grades.

This is an excellent telling of the moon landing. It has the excitement of a science fiction story but it really happened, fifty years ago.I highly recommend this book.

My Thoughts:One Giant Leap is the story of the first man to step on the moon. The text is written as if it is actually happening, in present tense, and adds a sense of immediacy to the story. Or it did for me. The paintings were rich and as realistic as a photograph. I loved the beauty of the words and the pictures in this book.The children liked the cover of the book a lot. They didn’t really like a lot of the other pictures. The story seemed to move too slowly for them. A Sample:“Armstrong knows that back on Earth, Hundreds of millions of people are watching.He jumps to the landing leg’s round footpad.He holds on. He pauses. He points his foot and steps off.The surface is as fine as powdered charcoal.The treads of his boot leave show more a perfectly crisp print in the dust.On the weatherless moon, it will last for millions of years.”Children’s Comments:Colt, 6, said, "I liked when they put the flag in the moon."Sammy, 6, said, "I liked when the rocket was floating down into the water."Juan Pablo, 7, said, "I liked where they were worried if the rocket ship wouldn't work."Children’s Ratings: 5, 1, 5, 5, 5, 1, 1, 5, 3, 3, 5, 3, 5, 4, 1, 5 show less