Gemini Cricket: John Glenn - First Person to Orbit the Earth (children's book)

On February 20, 1962, NASA astronaut John Glenn took the historic trip into space aboard the Friendship 7, becoming forever known as the first American to orbit the Earth.

In the new children's book, Gemini Cricket: John Glenn - First Person to Orbit the Earth (published by Trafford Publishing), author Barbara Crotts and illustrator Emil Khory, recapture John Glenn's journey as children share his unforgettable voyage into the great beyond.

"I was inspired to write this book because I admired the courage, the persistence to an important goal and the calmness under 'fire' of John Glenn," explains Crotts.

Readers will join Gemini Cricket, a secret admirer of Glenn, as he secretly hitches a ride about his ship when he orbits the Earth.

At T plus 6 minutes and 27 seconds, I looked out the window. Although the sky was very black, the horizon line (where the sky and earth seem to meet) was a beautiful, brilliant blue. From my high altitude, I could see half the earth. I could not see the whole earth all at once, just like you can't see all of an orange at once. It was at the earth•s curve that I could see the blue horizon line. It was brighter and more blue than the sky looks from the earth. It is the atmosphere of the earth which makes this color blue. The brilliant blue and white color only forms a small band around the earth. It quickly changes to a dark black. At this moment my planet seemed very special to me.

Gemini Cricket is sure to appeal to youths, who are fascinated with science and space.

About the Author

Barbara Crotts has been an elementary school teacher for over 30 years. She has her M.S. in education and a strong interest in science. Her poetry for children and adults has been published in newspapers, magazines and the book Touching the hearts of generations: 'Poems for all ages'.

Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, Inc. author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an "on-demand publishing service," and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Trafford's experience for self publishing their books.