I Want to Go to the Moon

K-Gr 2—In this song set to pictures, Neil Armstrong thinks big from infancy. His first words as a toddler are, "I want to go to the moon, Mom./I want to go to the moon, Dad./I want to go to the moon." He is dissuaded by nothing as he grows up-not by his father's explanation that it is too far away, not by the fact that his friends think he's silly, not by teachers who think he is crazy, and not by scientists who believe that the trip is impossible. Again and again, he hears, "You'll never go to the moon, Neil./You'll never go to the moon," but still he works hard at following his dream. After college, he washes knives and spoons at night for a chance to train to fly during the day. Finally, he becomes an astronaut and, in 1969, a general says the words Armstrong longs to hear: "We need someone/to take us to the moon./Do you want to go to the moon, Neil?" The watercolor-and-ink illustrations are realistic and colorful, and a CD includes the song. The book is entertaining, but those seeking biographical information on Armstrong should be directed elsewhere.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA