School Library Journal
Gr 2-4
The author of Godspeed, John Glenn (Boyds Mills, 2006) and other accounts of space-program highlights describes the disastrous Apollo 13 mission for younger readers. With a combination of brief overview narrative, more detailed sidebar explanations, and full- or nearly full-spread paintings done in a realistic style, Hilliard covers the basic facts in a systematic way, but he writes in a wooden, matter-of-fact tone that robs the episode of much of its terror and suspense. For example, "Jim's wife, Marilyn, stayed in constant contact with Houston and hoped that, against all odds, her husband would return to her and their children." Similarly, the figures in the paintings are usually in static poses, often seen from the back or with faces in shadow. The important task of making children aware of our achievements in space exploration needs all the help it can get, but is better served by more vivid retellings, such as Ian Graham's You Wouldn't Want to Be on Apollo 13! (Watts, 2003) or Mark Beyer's Crisis in Space: Apollo 13 (Children's Press, 2002).-John Peters, New York Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
The story of Apollo 13 and its three heroic astronauts receives sturdy treatment in this new picture book that centers on the story of astronaut Jim Lovell. Readers learn that he grew up obsessed with flight in the 1930s, joined the Navy, and became an astronaut in 1962. After having orbited the Moon as a member of the Apollo 8 team, he is chosen for the Apollo 13 team, which is to be the third mission to land on the Moon, blasting off on April 11, 1970. All goes smoothly until there's an explosion just outside the Command Module. Hilliard tells his tale with a few too many exclamation points, but touches on the kinds of details kids will respond to, explaining how the astronauts worked with Houston to jury-rig the Lunar Module as a "lifeboat" and how, perhaps worst of all, the families of the three men watched the life-and-death drama unfold on television. The dramatic acrylic illustrations resemble enhanced period photographs and share the spread with an ongoing sidebar that provides encyclopedia-like blurbs about the astronauts and the mission. The fact-packed book makes up in clarity what it lacks in flair. (Informational picture book. 8-11)
From the Publisher
"[A] sturdy treatment. . . . Touches on the kinds of details kids will respond to." —Kirkus Reviews
"Children intrigued by the space program will enjoy this large-format book from the author/illustrator of Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon (2005) and Godspeed, John Glenn (2006)." —Booklist
"Recommended for reports and for those with a curiosity about space travel. It could also be read by those much younger with adult explanations, as well as by older students, and adults, for an easy-to-understand work on a complex subject." —Library Media Connection
