20th July 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing (Part 2)

In the book Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon author Catherine  Thimmesh gives  a rare perspective on a story we only thought we knew. 'For Apollo 11, the first moon landing, is a story that belongs to many, not just the few and famous. It belongs to the seamstress who put together twenty-two layers of fabric for each space suit. To the engineers who created a special heat shield to protect the capsule during its fiery reentry. It belongs to the flight directors, camera designers, software experts, suit testers, telescope crew, aerospace technicians, photo developers, engineers, and navigators.' 

I love picture book biographies and the subject of the moon landing has been well written about for children. There are biographies about Armstrong and Aldrin, but perhaps you haven't seen some of the other amazing biographies that tell the stories of other people who have been involved in the quest to get to the moon either before Apollo 11 or after. Many of them were woman and continue to be women. They help to show what Thimmesh contends, that there are so many other people involved.




• Reaching For the Moon by Buzz Aldrin and Wendell Minor
• Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin and Wendell Minor 
• One Giant Leap: the Story of Neil Armstrong  by Don Brown



• Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing  by Dean Robbins and Lucy Knisley






• Hidden Figures: The True Story of  Four Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly and Laura Freeman



• Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13  by Helaine Becker and Dow Phumiruk

• A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Spade and Veronica Miller Jamison

• Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed and Stasia Burrington

Champions Read 1 - Science Champions

In Australia the theme for Book Week this year is Champions Read, probably partly because of its close proximity to the Olympic Games. As I only teach very young children from 3 to 8 years old, this theme didn't strike me as being that exciting and I wasn't all that enthusiastic, but the more I have thought about it and the wider I am able to make the definition of 'champion' the better I feel about it. I have been putting together a reading list of picture book biographies for teachers and my Year 2 Book Club group and have decided to spread them out over several blog entries. I plan to look at Champions of Science; Champions of the Environment; Champions of Art; Champions of Literature and others as well as Champions of Sport.

For me a champion is:

• someone who surpasses all rivals,

• someone who commits an act and is worthy of positive recognition for such an act,

• someone who vigorously supports a cause.

To start with Science Champions:

Mary Anning (1799 - 1847) fossil collector

As a young girl in Lyme Regis, England she collected fossils along the shoreline. She is believed to have been the first to find the bones of an Ichthyosaurus. There are two picture books that tell her story:

* The Fossil Girl by Catherine Brighton, and

* Stone Girl Bone Girl by Laurence Anholt who also lives in Lyme Regis.

Eratosthenes - (276 BC - 194BC)

Greek philosopher and scientist who compiled the first geography book and accurately measured the globe's circumference. This book tells his story:

* The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky

Galileo (1564 - 1642) astronomer

* Starry Messenger by Peter Sis

* I, Galileo by Bonnie Christensen

John Tebbutt (1834 - 1916) Australian astronomer

* Bright Star by Gary Crew and Anne Spudvilas. This book tells the story of Alicia whose life is influence by John Tebbutt.

Buzz Aldrin (1930 - ) astronaut

* Reaching For the Moon by Buzz Aldrin

Charles Darwin - naturalist

There are a large number of picture books about Darwin's life, but these three are in my library and offer the opportunity for a thorough examination of his work and life with wonderful illustrations.

* What Mr Darwin Saw by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

* One Beetle Too Many by Kathryn Lasky

* The Tree of Life by Peter Sis

The students who are interested in Darwin will also like this biography about the geneticist, Mendel.

* Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardoe

And lastly, although I am sure there are many more that you would add, a book about Thomas Edison.

* Odd Boy Out by Don Brown

20th January Buzz Aldrin (1930)

It is the birthday of Edwin Eugene (Buzz) Aldrin, arguably the most famous of the astronauts who have walked on the moon. He has made a business from this success. He also has used what he knows about space to write children's books. These two are popular in my library.

18th March

Now for the rest of yesterday's birthdays.

Wendell Minor is an American illustrator whose style of illustration is often larger than life, but so realistic that you also feel as if you are there having the experience depicted. In his new book where the illustrations accompany the words of the Gordon Titcomb song, The Last Train, you feel as if you are on the train or watching it across a field. His books that accompany Jean Craighead George's closely observed nature texts also bring you up close to the animals. See The Last Polar Bear; Snow Bear and The Wolves Are Back. Other books where Wendell has brought experience to life are Buzz Aldrin's Reach For the Sky and Look to the Stars.

Patrick McDonnell is an American cartoonist with a very successful comic strip about a dog called Mutts, but I first met his work when I bought his picture book Art and was enamoured of both the text and art. It too is cartoony, but it has Pollock-type artwork and Harold of purple crayon fame type imagination and makes a fun book about a small boy named Art. Recently I read about Patrick's new book to be released in April. Called Me...Jane, it is a biography of Jane Goodall and her gorillas. I can't wait to see it.

And lastly, Keith Baker who is also an American illustrator. I do not know his birth date, but I do know I love his illustrations and cannot wait to have fun with L M N O Peas and Potato Joe when Kindergarten are doing food. His other books are just as special and lend themselves to maths activities, units of enquiry or simply literature response. The Magic Fan has a text, art and paper engineering to elicit extensive discussion and given the recent tsunami in Japan it is extremely pertinent.