Go For The Moon: A Rocket, A Boy, And the First Moon Landing. Written and illustrated by Chris Gall. Roaring Brook Press, Macmillan. Raincoast. 2019. $25.99 ages 8 and up

"The Saturn V astronauts have their own breakfast early in the morning. Then they are sent to a special room to get into their space suits. They need help. The special suitcases they carry will give them oxygen to breathe until their capsule is safely in space. Three hours before liftoff ... "

I posted a number of books about the 1969 moon landing a few weeks ago, and somehow missed this one. Don't know how I do those things. Anyway ...

The child narrator of this grand story is obviously obsessed with rockets, space and this very auspicious moment in history. His own rocket is built. His family clearly shares his interest.

In double-page spreads, Chris Gall places each stage of the rocket's preparation and journey alongside inset views of the child's readiness for liftoff. Each step along the way is presented in astonishing clarity with detailed images as the full drama unfolds. His explanatory scientific text is accessible to his intended audience and matched by these images. He also provides context through the young boy's eyes with his own rocket launch. The two blast off together!

Gall's comparison of trying to hit a soccer ball with a rock as it is kicked through the air shows just how hard it is to assure a safe landing in space. The boy knows exactly what is happening as the rocket hurtles through space, moving out of Earth's gravity and into that of the moon. Settled in his own spaceship at home, he simulates what is happening in space.

"I eat my snacks from a plastic bag, and
I sip my Tang through a straw. I make sure
I don't spill anything, because in space
there is no gravity. Any spills will float
around the inside of the ship and cause trouble
for the spacecraft and the astronauts."

The excitement is apparent as the entire family waits with bated breath for the astronauts to step onto the moon's surface, and to hear Neil Armstrong's enduring first words: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Both imaginative and clearly set in space history, this is a book that will be appreciated by many, and is worthy of attention.

In an author's note, Mr. Gall shares his memories of that very memorable event for a boy obsessed with astronomy and space travel. He also adds a page of fun facts, a glossary and a list of resources, print and virtual.