Go for the Moon - by Chris Gall (Hardcover)

About the Book

For the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, this picture book offers a step-by-step explanation of how the Apollo 11 spacecraft worked, as told by a young enthusiast. Full color.

Book Synopsis

Written and illustrated by Chris Gall, Go for the Moon! captures the fascinating detail and inspiring adventure of the moon landing. It is a captivating celebration of one of humankind's greatest technical achievements and most extraordinary feats of exploration.

The Apollo 11 astronauts have prepared carefully for their attempt to be the first men to land on the moon. The young narrator of this book has prepared carefully, too: he explains the design of the spacecraft, the flight from the earth to the moon, and the drama of touching down--while shadowing the astronaut's voyage with one of his own.

Review Quotes

Gall uses approachable analogies to illuminate STEAM concepts, and an author's note recalls Gall's experience watching the moon landing as a child, further personalizing this edifying and heartfelt story. - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Gall balances densely explanatory pages with wide-angle scenes filled with tension and drama... Best of all, Gall's young narrator shows how leaps of imagination can transform the grandest milestones into the most personal experiences. - The New York Times

The final double-page spread is a stunning, vertiginous view of the boy's next generation of homemade rockets lifting off. A solid addition to the growing collection of fine volumes about Apollo 11. - Kirkus

[Gall's] enthusiasm for rocketry shines brightly in loving attention to hardware detail in the art, with human participants rendered as merely necessary adjuncts. He manages to capture a bit of the Moon mania of 1969 and expand enthusiasm to a new audience in appended fun facts. - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Recommended for science classes and school and public library collections. - School Library Journal

The large trim size places the focus on the richly colored illustrations, which chart and diagram each phase of the journey and return. This will appeal...to the space and tech obsessed, but as the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing arrives, anyone looking to experience the excitement of that time will have an interest. - Booklist

About the Author

Chris Gall was eight years old when men first walked on the moon, and began building and flying model rockets at about the same time. "Some smashed into pieces when their parachutes failed," he says, "but some left the earth with a shattering roar and flew to great heights. I like to think one of them made it to the moon."

While continuing to build rockets, Chris went on to earn a degree in fine arts from the University of Arizona and is the author and illustrator of a dozen acclaimed books, including Dinotrux, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year, The Littlest Train, and Dog Vs. Cat. Go for the Moon! is his first work of children's nonfiction. He lives in Tucson.