Footprints On the Moon

Footprints On the Moon by Mark Haddon. Illustrated by Christian Birmingham. 2009. [March 2009] Candlewick Press. 32 pages.

Years ago there was a little boy who had the solar system on his wall.

A little boy imagines (or dreams) that he is part of the historic moon landing in 1969. That's a quick little summary of this picture book by Mark Haddon. That 'little boy' is the author. And the book is based on his recollections of what it was like--really like--to be growing up during this time. What it was like to watch the moon landing. What it was like to see men walk on the moon. What it was like to dream big dreams. Here's a bit of text to give you an idea of the writing style:

He borrowed library books and read about how astronauts had orbited the earth and walked in space and how they'd flown around the moon itself. And every night he hoped and hoped that one day they would find a way to land and walk across the tiny world where he had dreamed of walking.

And eventually, one cloudless night, they did.

This one was originally published in 1996 in the UK. It was reprinted in the US by Candlewick in 2009.

The illustrations were probably my favorite part of this one. (I thought that the text was a little heavy in some places.)

© Becky Laney of Young Readers