Many kids know about the 1969 Apollo 11 mission and Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin’s moon landing. But few know the behind-the-scenes events that occurred during the U.S. and Soviet Union space race, or the fascinating story of the “Mercury 13” women pilots, who fought prejudice, sabotage, and jealousy in the 1960s to help light the way for the first American female astronauts.
Now kids can experience these stories – through picture books, graphic novels, and highly enjoyable nonfiction – and gain a more complete picture of the occasionally disturbing but always fascinating history that shaped today’s space programs. Highly informative, these texts make excellent books for libraries.
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
Several schools teach kids about the Mercury 7 – the seven male jet test pilots who trained to orbit the Earth in the 1960s. But few kids were ever taught about the “Mercury 13” – a team of women pilots who also underwent strenuous tests in the Project WISE (Women in Space Earliest) program to show women could work with men in space.
Readers will be amazed to learn many female pilots – including Jerrie Cobb, Rhea Hurrle, and Wally Funk – not only met NASA’s physical and mental standards, but could exceed the results of their male counterparts. Even more amazing is the revelation that the women were often subjected to more grueling tests than the men – including 10 hour immersions in isolation tanks that Stone describes in gripping detail.
The book’s best moments, however, come when Stone relates the congressional hearings where the women argued for their right to participate in space missions after the U.S. Navy and NASA shut down their testing. And while these women failed to save their own astronaut careers, their efforts proved vital in helping future female astronauts, like Sally Ride and Eileen Collins, take their place in the space shuttle.
While it focuses on prejudice against women, Almost Astronauts also reveals prejudices in the U.S. government against minorities as well. At one point, Cobb reveals then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson told her women could not be astronauts because then, “we’d have to let the blacks in. We’d have to let Mexican Americans in and Chinese Americans. We’d have to let every minority in, and we just can’t do it.” It’s a disturbing statement that shows the bigotry in a program that preached progressive thinking.
Brilliantly researched, Almost Astronauts is a must-have book for libraries as it relates largely unknown stories about NASA’s early days. After reading it, readers will realize the Mercury 13 were more than women in astronaut training – they were pioneers who led the way for both women and minorities in American space programs.
T Minus: The Race to the Moon
Comic book creators give a behind-the-scenes look at the space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union in this graphic novel that focuses on the engineers and scientists, as well as astronauts, who made NASA and the Soviet Space Program possible.
Acknowledging contributions made by German rocket designer Wernher von Braun (chief architect of the U.S.’s Saturn V launch vehicle) and Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (widely seen as founder of the Soviet space program), the book also focuses on the political pressure placed on both teams to win the space race – offering less-than-ideal looks at the lengths each side went to be first. Even so, the book still shows the wonder of space travel – especially in scenes of missions that let astronauts to float in outer space.
While some scenes are based on speculation, the creators also used NASA library materials, mission transcripts, and oral histories to construct the story, giving a rich story of the space programs told from multiple perspectives. Fans of space travel will also enjoy the data provided on the successful and unsuccessful rockets and satellites in both space programs. Overall, an informative story told in a very dramatic format.
Footprints on the Moon
Mark Haddon takes readers on a fanciful trip to the moon in this autobiographical picture book, beautifully illustrated by Christian Birmingham. For years, a little boy loved watching the moon through his dad’s binoculars, learning about the moon in books, and fantasizing about space travel. Then, on July 16, 1969, the boy saw his fantasy come true on television when he saw people walk on the moon – and later in his dreams when he imagined walking on the moon with the astronauts.
According to Haddon’s Author’s Note, Footprints on the Moon began as a nonfiction book about orbits and escape velocities, but evolved into a look back at the wonder many felt in seeing Armstrong and Aldrin walk on the moon. An excellent book to read aloud to kids – especially with its whimsical and photo-realistic illustrations – Haddon’s book is a sure-fire hit for young fans of space travel.
Want to excite kids with some nonfiction books about life on planet Earth? Then check out Nonfiction Books for Kids On World Demographics.
And find other ways to interest kids in science at Author Conrad Storad Excites Kids About Science and Science Experiment Teaches Kids About Density.
Haddon, Mark and Christian Birmingham. Footprints on the Moon. Massachusetts, Candlewick Press. 2009 (orig. 1996). ISBN: 978-0-7636-4440-6
Ottaviani, Jim, Zander Cannon, and Kevin Cannon. T Minus: The Race to the Moon. New York, Aladdin Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster. 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4169-4960-2
Stone, Tanya Lee. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Massachusetts, Candlewick Press. 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4502-1
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