Although I disagree with the author's thesis that the Apollo 8 photo of the Earth rising above the Moon taken on Christmas Eve of 1968 was "the photo that changed the world," I do consider this young children's book a worthy read. 1968 had not been a good year for the USA. It was the year that North Vietnam, breaking a truce for the end-of-January Tet holiday, showed the USA what they were truly capable of and what they were willing to sacrifice to unite their country. 1968 was a leap year, but the US took far too long to make that leap. It was also the year of the Prague Spring and Earthquakes in Sicily and the Philippines.

It was the year of the Olympics, and the year Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both shot and killed. It was the unfortunate year that that idiot Pope Paul tried to tell women that he, and not they, owned their bodies. It was the year that France detonated its first hydrogen bomb. It was the year that 150 members of New York Radical Women protested about the 'bombshells' being exploited in the Miss America 'Pageant', which no matter how they try to tart it up by labeling it a pageant and not a beauty contest, is still about shallow skin-depth looks.

It was the year the Boeing 747 jumbo jet was unveiled, a plane that allowed terrorists to kill more people at one time in an air crash than ever before. It was the year the Beatles released the White album and United Artists banned the 'Censored Eleven' - eleven cartoons deemed to be racist. And it was capped when Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders looped in a figure of eight around the Moon becoming the first humans to see the far side of it as well as traveling further away from Earth than any humans ever had before. The photos they took showed how tiny and undivided Earth is in terms of political boundaries: it's a planet we all have to share because there is nowhere else to go.

That's what this book is about, and it is well illustrated by Christy Lundy (and I have to add, commendably showcasing human diversity), and bright and colorful. I must say that the pages were sometimes awfully slow to load on my iPad. At first I thought this was because it was relatively old, but my wife's new iPad also took the same time to load, give or take, so it's the book's pages or it's the app (Bluefire Reader), not the iPad.

Anyway, the book tells the astronaut's story from liftoff on the venerable Saturn 5 rocket through their trip to the Moon (where we apparently leave them stranded because there's no return to Earth or splashdown!). Mostly it's about this one photograph that Bill Anders took, first of a black and white Earth on the way there, and then in color, of Earthrise, with the Earth half-illuminated by sunlight, the other half in darkness, creeping up above the bleak, gray, inhospitable Moon.

This wasn't actually the first Earthrise photograph taken! The first was taken by a robot in 1966 and showed much the same image, but the color image taken by humans is the one remembered. It was photographer Galen Rowell who made those hyperbolic claims for it being such a crucial image, but when you look at the actual Earth and how it progressed into 1969 and beyond, it's quite clear that this photograph ultimately influenced nothing.

There was no sea-change, only more of the same, so like I said, I do disagree with the author's assessment, but it does no harm to expose children to stirring imagery like this, and hopefully, in the long term, their astonishment and love of such imagery really will lead to an improvement among humanity in time! We can hope! I therefore commend this book as a worthy read.

This non-fiction picture book gives us a glimpse into what life was like back in the late 60s when astronauts first left Earth's orbit and headed to the moon. My students are used to seeing photos of space, but this book would make them think about what it would have been like for people to see a photo of Earth rising over the moon for the very first time. I especially like how the book ends with a page talking about what the photo meant at that time and asks the reader "What message does Earthrise send to you?"

Basic Plot: This is the story behind the photograph of the earth taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts back in 1968; and how such a photo led to a different view of our world.

WHAT’S COOL…
1) I love that the illustrations evoke the 1960s. They are wonderfully done! 

2) I love photography, so I found this story particularly interesting. It's a little behind-the-scenes "snapshot" at how one of the most famous photographs of all time came to be. 

3) The story juxtaposes a tumultuous time (1968) with a photograph that is anything but tumultuous. It's simple and beautiful and serene.

WHAT’S NOT COOL…
1) I feel like this could be made for older children with a little more text. Maybe explaining a few things. History-wise. This was the year that Martin Luther King was shot. And Robert Kennedy. And a war in Vietnam. They didn't have to go into extreme detail, but maybe at least mention MLK.

FINAL THOUGHTS
My rating is 4 Stars (out of 5) – A wonderfully illustrated book about this moment in history. I'd recommend for 1st through 3rd grade. Maybe Kindergarten?

Earthrise is a beautifully written picture book about an important moment in our history. Conveying the magnitude of Apollo 8 traveling into space in such a child friendly way, this book is perfect for all classrooms. The illustrations are simple, yet vibrant, and perfectly matches the vibe of the era.

This is a book I will use in my classroom as well as recommend to fellow educators.

Whats not to love. A beautifully illustrated book about the first picture taken of Earth.
But is that all?

The famous Earthrise picture was taken in December of 1968.
1968 was right in the middle of the Vietnam war. Earlier that same year Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated and a few months later Robert Kennedy was assassinated.
All around the world people were angry, they were fighting for peace, justice and freedom.

And then there is a picture. "No Countries, no borders"

This is a great, educational books for children, but as adults maybe we could learn a thing or two.
The world sometimes feels so torn apart, but as this book reminds us, we are still one world.

This book is timely not only because it will be the 50th anniversary of the Earthrise picture, but because maybe everyone can use the reminder that we're all in this together.

Earthrise by James Gladstone, illustrated by Christy Lundy is a beautiful, retro non-fiction picture book about the Apollo 8 space mission, the first to orbit the moon. The first to send back an awe-inspiring photograph of the Earth from the moon. The illustrations perfectly match the era of the mission. Retro and with the feel of some of the first colour television sets, Christy Lundy and James Gladstone did a masterful job capturing the awe and the excitement surrounding this shuttle launch and subsequent successful mission. Earthrise is a book sorely needed right now. We all need to remember the power of that one simple photograph: the one of our big beautiful Earth in all its glory, without boarders, without walls, without divisions. Earth is the place where we all live together, for better or for worse. The photograph titled, Earthrise, was taken 50 years ago and was the catalyst for the first Earth Day, which we continue to celebrate now. We need to remember Earthrise to be inspired once again to begin understanding how we all share the same Earth; the same beautiful blue rock floating in space and it’s our responsibility to care for it. The final prompt at the end of the book is a question: “What message does Earthrise send to you?” What a perfect question to pose to the children and adults in your life. The message I receive from Earthrise is one of stewardship and respect. Respect for the land where we live and the people who live with us, together taking care of our world to keep her shining bright in space for the future.

This is a very interesting look at the Earthrise photo, the first photo of the earth rising above the moon. The photo was taken from Apollo 8, the first US astronauts to go (not land) to the moon. The narrator is both omnipresent and represented by a little girl. It talks about how amazed people were, and how this one photo helped people truly realize that we are one earth, and one people, without real walls and borders. I like the idea behind this story and think it was executed really well. The illustrations harked back to 1968 with their soft crayon feel, almost like visual static. Overall, a great addition to any classic.

Earthrise is a simple yet well done book about the first trip to the moon and a specific photo that was taken from the ship. It was not about the mission to land on the moon, but the first time that astronauts got up close to the moon and the first time people saw the entire round Earth from space.

It is amazing to think about what space launches were like in the late 1960s. The world was struggling with race issues and anti-war protestors, but everyone stopped when Apollo 8 launched. While the mission was to get the first images of the moon so that they could figure out how to land there at a later date, the view of earth was a spectacular sight.

I think the author gets a little heavy handed in the note at the end of the book saying that the Earthrise photo “helped us to see our world for what it is: a planet without borders, a home to all peoples.” That is a lovely thought, but I’m not sure that a child will see that as a message. It is wonderful to think that out of the chaos that was the late 1960s where people were in conflict over basic human rights and treatment, Apollo 8 took a photograph of our earth, but this book might have done better to skip the first spread and start with the astronauts getting ready for the launch.

Beautiful illustrations, beautiful message. I'm looking forward to sharing this at storytime reading this to my son, and putting it on display. I've already ordered a copy for the library!

It is hard to explain, to the current generation, what it was like as a child during the Space Race.

It was a huge deal. A super huge deal. The United States, and perhaps the whole world, watched as we got closer and closer to landing on the moon. I was only 9, in 1968, and although I don't remember the mission that took this picture, I do remember seeing the photo, over the years. Such a cool picture.

During the moon landing, in 1969, which happened in the Summer, I remember our 5th grade class had to write a short story about what they would find on the moon, before school was let out.

The pictures in this book are so cool. They both follow a little Black girl, as well as the astronauts on the Apollo 8.


<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-607" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screen-Shot-2018-06-13-at-9.34.19-AM.png" alt="Earth rise" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-606" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screen-Shot-2018-06-13-at-9.35.47-AM.png" alt="Earth rise" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-605" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screen-Shot-2018-06-13-at-9.36.02-AM.png" alt="Earthrise" />

An excellent book to introduce the children of today the story of the earthrise photo, as well as the Apollo missions.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Believe it or not, I've seen this photo any number of times and never knew the story behind it! I think elementary school kids 3rd grade and up might enjoy hearing about this iconic photo and how it came about. Good book!

This book captures the tensions, the interest, and the feelings of 1968 and the legacy of the Apollo 8 mission.. The focus is on the photo Earthrise, which was taken aboard Apollo 8 and shows Earth rising above the moon. This photo inspired the first Earth Day. This is well-told story with engaging illustrations.