A captivating account of how the U.S. space program achieved the goal of landing on the moon blends abundant visuals with a compelling, substantial text that illuminates myriad facets of the effort. While the book moves chronologically from idea to successful outcome, it's divided into sections that emphasize various aspects of the endeavor: "A Race to the Moon" (the Cold War political context), "Designing a Moon Rocket," "Building a Launch Vehicle," "Staying Alive in Space," "Support on the Ground," and "We Choose to Go to the Moon." Throughout, both the technological story and the human story of the Apollo program-including the critical role of human creativity and imagination-are given equal measure, with sidebars offering profiles of some of the people and science and engineering concepts. The volume displays a welcome, intentional effort to include diverse individuals across many components of the Apollo program, scientists to seamstresses, factory workers to engineers to astronauts. The art ranges from schematics, diagrams, and close-ups of equipment to portraits accompanying the profiles to more sweeping views providing context. Individual readers will likely find some aspects more interesting than others, but the format makes it easy to linger where desired, even as it incites eagerness about what every turn of the page will bring in this enticing, impressive volume. End matter includes a list of Apollo missions, research note, sources, and suggestions for "further exploration." (Age 9 and older)

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FINALIST • A ROBERT F. SIBERT HONOR BOOK

This beautifully illustrated, oversized guide to the people and technology of the moon landing by award-winning author/illustrator John Rocco (illustrator of the Percy Jackson series) is a must-have for space fans, classrooms, and tech geeks.

Everyone knows of Neil Armstrong's famous first steps on the moon. But what did it really take to get us there?

The Moon landing is one of the most ambitious, thrilling, and dangerous ventures in human history. This exquisitely researched and illustrated book tells the stories of the 400,000 unsung heroes--the engineers, mathematicians, seamstresses, welders, and factory workers--and their innovations and life-changing technological leaps forward that allowed NASA to achieve this unparalleled accomplishment.

From the shocking launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik to the triumphant splashdown of Apollo 11, Caldecott Honor winner John Rocco answers every possible question about this world-altering mission. Each challenging step in the space race is revealed, examined, and displayed through stunning diagrams, experiments, moments of crisis, and unforgettable human stories.

Explorers of all ages will want to pore over every page in this comprehensive chronicle detailing the grandest human adventure of all time!