Shooting For The Moon: The Amazing Life and Times of Annie Oakley

by Stephen Krensky, Bernie Fuchs (Illustrator)

A survivor who refused to give up.

The Amazing Life and Times of Annie Oakley.

"Aim at a high mark and you will hit it" is the motto the legendary sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Annie Oakley, lived by. How did a young girl growing up on a hardscrabble Ohio farm become a legend in her own time?

Based on her own writings and illustrated with hauntingly expressive oil paintings by one of America's foremost illustrators, this dramatic picture-book biography offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a courageous young girl who went on to break barriers in the field of sports, becoming recognized by Will Rogers and others as "the greatest woman rifle shot the world has ever produced."

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, History, Childrens, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2001

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Annie’s father dies leaving her family destitute, she tries to help her family survive by hunting rabbits and selling them to a supplier. This lead her to entering sharpshooting contests, amazing fans as the star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and touring the World.
I have mixed feeling about the book, as I don’t like glorifying guns to kids, and yet there’s a lot of info that Annie only killed game her family needed to eat, and was a truly good person.

[Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

"'Aim at a high mark and you will hit it,' was Annie's motto. 'No, not the first time, nor the second, and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting. Finally you'll hit the bull's-eye of success, for only practice will make you perfect. '"

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational picture book biography details Annie Oakley’s early life as a poverty-stricken farm-girl in Ohio who dreamed big and aimed high eventually becoming the country’s most respected sharpshooter. The information within the book is based on Annie Oakley’s own words, as written in her personal diaries. For children, discussion could involve asking children what they are dreaming of and aiming for.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe I knew nothing about Annie Oakley other than she was a woman who knew her way around a gun. This is a fantastic book that will educate readers and spark their desire to learn even more. A perfect addition to any elementary or middle school.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations, good content, easy to read and follow.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good text, but the pictures were horrible.

[WKWyverns]

4W got this book talk first.

[James O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Illustrations by Bernie Fuchs.

[M W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always knew who Annie Oakley was, but I didn't know her story. This book shows how she brought herself out of absolute poverty to make a career with her sharpshooting skills first by hunting and trapping for her family and then making a business out of it and then in her performance career in which she even eclipsed her fellow sharpshooter husband.