Big Ideas

2/12/2019

Rocket to the Moon!: Big Ideas That Changed the World
by Don Brown

Big Ideas That Changed the World, a series created by Don Brown, "celebrates the hard-won succession of ideas that ultimately remade the world." Rocket to the Moon! is the first book in the BIG IDEAS series, exploring the development of rockets.

Rodman Law, a New Jersey daredevil parachutist in the early 1900's, is the character who narrates the chronology. He provides commentary and adds his own witty asides.

I bet I'm the first guy to try flying in a rocket. OK, OK, there's a sketchy story about a Turkish guy who did it in 1633, but come on, 1633? I'm not buying it, so I'm claiming the title.

Briefly mentioned are the Chinese invention of gunpowder, as well as fifteenth and sixteenth century experimentation with rockets. The narrative progresses with greater detail when detailing the research of twentieth-century Russian, American, and Romanian scientists and the work of American-German aerospace engineer Werner von Braun. His association with Hitler's Germany is mentioned.

A substantial portion of the book is devoted to the United States' space exploration, including the "space race" with Russia. The narrative culminates with the successful Apollo 11 lunar landing.

Brown includes trivia tidbits that will fascinate young readers, including such things as peeing and pooping in space, strapping upright pilots in the lunar module with Velcro, and jerry-rigging a ballpoint pen to replace a broken switch.

They lightened Eagle by discarding an impressive pile of junk: boots, a camera, canisters, scoops, a shovel, space suit parts, and an empty storage container. They left a bag of barf, too, so watch your step if you're ever on the Sea of Tranquility.

Line drawings, and link wash are clean and straightforward, moving the narrative along. The full-page panel of the moon's surface appropriately gives readers pause. Pacing shows the module’s slow descent to the Sea of Tranquility with a series of jagged-edge panels. Horizontal panels zoom in on one footstep as it descends down the ladder to the moon's surface.

Solid back matter adds significant value to this work and includes an extensive spaceflight timeline that begins with Jules Verne's 186 novel From the Earth to the Moon, continues with Robert Goddard's 1914 U.S. patents on multistage and liquid-fueled rockets, and concludes with SpaceX launch of the world's heaviest rocket in 2018. Brown directs readers to the NASA timeline for additional information. A brief biography of Rodman Law, endnotes citing sources for all individual quotes, a bibliography of books, articles, television programs, movies, and websites as well as an Author's Note round out the ten pages of back matter.

Informative. Fascinating. Engaging, Entertaining. An important addition to collections everywhere.

Don Brown Comics

Brown's historical comics have received numerous awards including Sibert honor awards and the YALSA Nonfiction award. Try these excellent, well-researched graphic novels.