posted 10-15-2020 09:27 AM               

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!

• Grade Level: 5-6
  
• Hardcover: 264 pages
  
• Crown Books for Young Readers (October 6, 2020)
  
• ISBN-10: 0525647414
  
• ISBN-13: 978-0525647416

...the book shows the journey of how we got to the moon, "what do we have to build, how are we going to make it, and all of the problems and all of the solutions that they [the engineers] came up with." He noted that the book will show how such an incredible feat was accomplished without the technology we have today.

For the book, Rocco spoke with roughly two dozen Apollo engineers, both men and women, about the work that they did and their experiences landing the first humans on the moon. Talking to the engineers, who are largely in their 80s and 90s, was "a hoot," Rocco told Space.com.

"Whenever I was working on the book and I had a question, I could just call them up and say, 'Hey, I don't understand — how does this pipe that goes from here to here, what does that do and why?'" Rocco said. "It was a blast."