Cezzar, Juliette & Éditions Aéro-Dynamiques
“Paper Astronaut: The Paper Spacecraft Mission Manual”
Universe Publishing
2009
ISBN13: 978-0-789-31881-7 Publisher’s Web Site
Librarian’s Note: Go into any hobby shop, and you’ll find plenty of models of airplanes and cars and ships, but rockets? You can have any rocket you want as long as it’s a Space Shuttle. Space interested model builders have adapted to this by promulgating a large number of paper models. The best round-up of links to paper models is over at Hobbyspace, but this book is a terrific introduction to the hobby with an international line-up of spacecraft.
Librarian’s Note: I am beyond impressed with this one. The graphic style makes it appealing to younger audiences, but the story is subtle enough for adults to enjoy. Spanning the years from the 1939 World’s Fair in NYC to beyond the world of tomorrow, this one is clearly a labor of love, but also of genius. It serves as touching testimony to the fact that while yesterday may be forever lost to us, tomorrow never is. There’s no question this one gets a Full Moon at perigee rating. You owe it to yourself to check this one out.
Stone, Jerry. Design by Andy Mansfield
“One Small Step: Celebrating the First Men on the Moon”
Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press
2009
ISBN: 1-596-43491-0 Publisher’s Web Site
Librarian’s Note: This one is styled as a scrapbook, with removable elements.
Shipp, Stephanie & Christine Shupla
-How Our Moon Formed
-Our Moon in a New Light
-To the Moon and Beyond
Lunar & Planetary Institute
2008
ISSN: 0161-5297 Publisher’s Web Site
Librarian’s Note: One of the many cool handouts available at the LPSC.
Launch Magazine Vol 4 # 6
MM Publishing
12/2008
ISSN 1933-4087 Publisher’s Web Site
Librarian’s Note: This is a good sign. I’m looking forward to Launch coming off of hiatus. This issue features some of the folks of the Dallas Area Rocket Society and a Saturn 1B project they did for a local Apollo event (pdf) also featured in this issue. A lot of folks at ConDFW this weekend were asking about Spaceport America, and I was able to show them the illustrations in the article (pdf) by Jim Oberg.
Coe, Liza, Linda Conrad et al (eds)
“NASA Quest Challenge: Charting a Course to the Moon”
Exploration through Navigation Challenge Educator’s Guide
NASA Ames
2009 Publisher’s Web Site On-Line Text
Librarian’s Note: You know, I was just talking orbital mechanics at an NSS-NT outreach display at UTA with youngsters who were being encouraged by their parents to do well in math. One of the displays we have is a map of cislunar space, and I’ve created a tool to help illustrate the Lagrange points associated with the warps created by the interaction of the Earth and Moon’s gravity. This Educator Guide pointed to an absolutely brilliant video which illustrates the point quite well.
Aston, Diana Hutts. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney
“The Moon over Star”
Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Young Readers Group
2008
ISBN: 978-0-803-73107-3 Publisher’s Web Site CNN Story NASAWatch Post
Librarian’s Note: This is the story that President Obama read to some lucky schoolkids at Capital City Public Charter School on the 3rd of February, 2009. [Uh, shouldn’t that be Capitol?]
Librarian’s Note: The Moon! And Puppies! Has there ever been a cuter combination? It is 100% Disney formulaic, character archetype caricatures, enough violations of physics to send purists into conniptions, and C-level acting. But…it’s Fun! I mean - puppies! Scrabbling around in a space ship and walking on the Moon! Kiddie level thrills and suspense. This one is G-rated Full Moon family fun!
Librarian’s Note: Continuing his efforts to provide Moon-related educational materials, John has added a craft Moon globe to supplement his previous Moonposter. What kid doesn’t enjoy a craft project? And they end up with their own personal Moon globe to study while learning about the Moon. This is a great addition to the Lunar Library.
Librarian’s Note: I am definitely not looking forward to yet another round of Apollo anniversary books, which seems to peak at each of the ‘decadal’ anniversaries. However, I am not going to complain about this particular title. There are some really, really cool pop-ups in here, including a rather clever Moon. Definitely a nice addition to the Lunar Library.
Librarian’s Note: I’m a bit ambivalent about this one. It’s probably just dandy for its intended audience of 3-5 year olds, but beyond that it lacks heft, as can be noted in the reviews. I was a bit put off by the fact that the characters’ teeth and tongues didn’t seem to be anchored to anything in the head, and in some shots the heads could be seen to be empty wireframes.
Librarian’s Note: The author just sent me a copy for review, and I’m quite looking forward to this one. Young Blair is being dragged by her parents off to the Moon (a situation not unfamiliar to us military brats, who lose all of our friends again and again…), but a tragedy soon tests her fealty to her new home.
[Update: I recently got my copy from the publisher, and it looks like Amazon has them in stock as well. Just in time for the holidays!]
