BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations
Title: The Spacesuit: How a Seamstress Helped Put Man on the Moon (available here)
Author: Alison Donald
Illustrator: Ariel Landy
Publisher: Maverick Arts
Publication Date: June 2019
Reviewer: Hayley Warner
What a wonderful and uplifting read! As somebody who loves teaching about space, this book caught my attention straight away, especially because it wasn’t like any other space book I had read before.
This picture book was inspired by Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Foraker, a talented seamstress who created the spacesuit worn during the memorable Apollo 11 1969 Moon Landing. There is a lovely dedication to her on the very first page, and as you read through, it is clear to see what an inspirational woman Ellie Foraker really was.
From a young girl, Ellie enjoyed sewing and creating items with neatness and detail. As an adult, a passing engineer who noticed Ellie’s talents encouraged her to go up against military designers in a Space Competition with the opportunity to create a spacesuit worthy for a moon expedition. With the help of other seamstresses, Ellie and her group of women would help to change the world of exploration forever.
This book not only has beautiful, bright illustrations created by Ariel Landy, which really bring the story to life, but it also contains interesting facts about space and the moon landing that will hook younger and older readers and guarantee lots of discussions around the subject. It also has a glossary of key terminology and a QR code if any reader – or teacher – wanted to access more facts. What a great touch!
This is a great story to share as a class read, to have as an extra topic book on space or in any school library. I feel this would appeal to boys and girls and hopefully inspire a new generation of space enthusiasts. Although this book makes for easy reading for younger readers, it would appeal to children in years 5 or 6 too.
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You can order The Spacesuit online or from your local bookshop or library.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending us a review copy of this book and to Review Panel member Hayley for reviewing it.
Where next? > Visit our Reading for Pleasure Hub
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