First on the Moon

by Barbara Hehner

An account of the first moon landing by Apollo 11 in 1969.

Genres: Science, History, Childrens, Picture Books

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

BARBARA HEHNER is the author of many children’s books. She began writing over 20 years ago, entering into a partnership with David Suzuki. Together they wrote six children’s science and activity books, starting with Looking at Plants. Barbara Hehner lives in Toronto with her family.

Reviews

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

very dense and very good. needs more illustrations. Lots of good, new information and I think it's a great supplement to the Disney movie about the women in NASA.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story a third person narration; parts are told from the point of view of Jan Aldrin, Buzz Aldrin's daughter while parts focus on the astronauts. It makes the story more accessible and interesting. It captures both the perspective of the astronauts and the perspective of the Americans watching from home.

It's hard to imagine the impact of the televised broadcasts from space. When I was in grade school, shuttle launches were still important enough to stop school for - we gathered around the set in the library to watch. Now, I wonder if they even discuss the space program.

This book includes good illustrations - detailed but not flashy. I particularly like the schematic of the Saturn V rocket and the timeline at the end of the book.

I wish we had read this book before visiting the Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, KS last week. (Of course, I didn't own the book then, and we had not intended to visit the Cosmosphere - we'd planned to swim instead but found the indoor water park closed to the public.) Maybe the exhibits would have been more interesting to my daughter.

[Laura Verret · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all enjoy watching races, whether they are between five year old children, champion race horses, or speedy race cars. But few of us experience races which last for an entire decade of time. But that’s what the space program was. A decade long race.

And now, First On the Moon offers you the chance to experience that race from the perspective of the people who ran it. Told through the eyes of the spectators, the wives and children of the astronauts, and the participants themselves, First On the Moon tells an exciting, day-by-day story of the first moon landing.

A fabulous array of illustrations and real photographs are included from every stage along the journey – in the rockets, at the liftoff, on the moon, in orbit, and later in press conferences and on parade. Although not an exhaustive resource, First on the Moon definitely provides its readers with a sense of the great excitement which accompanied man’s first landing on the moon.

Conclusion. An excellent, engaging resource.

[dogluvers867 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. It was totally clear that the total feeling of being on the moon was phenominal. the pics were great and I just really liked it.

~Audrey**

[Sam Sahyouni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical account of man's first trip to the moon for children.

[Tremayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was very exciting and informative I'm glad we were the first ones on the moon.