Reaching for the Moon

On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo 11 moon walk and became the first two humans to set foot on another world. This unprecedented heroic endeavor was witnessed by the largest worldwide television audience in history. Upon returning from the moon, Dr. Aldrin embarked on an international goodwill tour and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among more than fifty distinguished awards and medals from numerous countries. Since retiring from NASA, the Air Force, and his position as commander of the test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base, Dr. Aldrin has remained at the forefront of efforts to ensure a continued leading role for America in manned space exploration and has advanced his lifelong commitment to humans venturing outward in space. Recently he founded a rocket design company, Starcraft Boosters, Inc., and the ShareSpace Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to pursuing space tourism. In addition to writing books that describe his unique perspective on America's space program, Dr. Aldrin also lectures and travels throughout the world to discuss his and others' ideas for exploring the universe. For more information about the Apollo 11 moon landing please visit www.nasa.gov or The Johnson Space Center at www.jsc.nasa.gov and for more information about the illustrations in this book please visit www.minorart.com. Wendell Minor has illustrated numerous award-winning picture books, including Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin, Galapagos George by Jean Craighead George, and If You Were a Panda Bear by his wife, Florence Minor. Mr. Minor's art has been exhibited at the Norman Rockwell Museum, among other prestigious institutions throughout the country. He lives in rural Connecticut with Florence and their two cats.

"Precisely rendered illustrations help this effort really take off ... a brief chronology rounds out this solid title." -- ALA Booklist "Calling all dreamers and wannabe space travellers!" -- Child Magazine "A Buzz-worthy book!" -- Time for Kids "Beautiful and realistic illustrations ... in first-person voice ... a child's-eye view on space exploration." -- Kirkus Reviews "Entertaining and informative. Excellent, realistic paintings." -- School Library Journal (starred review)