Friday, May 24, 2019

Fact Friday and Picture Book Review: Daring Dozen: the twelve who walked on the moon by Suzanne Slade

Image: Charlesbridge

Daring Dozen: the twelve who walked on the moon by Suzanne Slade. Illustrated by Alan Marks. unpgd. Charlesbridge, March, 2019. 9781580897730. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Did you know that July 20, 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Neil Armstrong's* moonwalk? Yes, he took that one small step for man, but did you know that eleven other astronauts walked on the moon after him? Fact Friday features Daring Dozen: the twelve who walked on the moon by Suzanne Slade. The author sparely but eloquently summarizes each of the Apollo missions from Apollo 11 to Apollo 17 accompanied by creamy, dreamy double-page watercolor paintings depicting a variety of astronaut activity and moonscapes. 

Plentiful back matter includes an Afterword written by Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon; a note from the author; a timeline; more information about the vehicles; more information about the missions; more information about the art; and formal color group photos of each team along with, you guessed it, more information. Four books for further reading, source notes and a selected bibliography that includes websites round out the back matter. Additionally, the book is hefty and beautifully designed. The decorated end-pages feature two footprints on the moon's surface. Just lovely.

Daring Dozen is a superb addition to any library!

*ETA: Thanks to Susie for pointing out an unfortunate typo. Ugh! So sorry!


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