Earthrise

From award-winning historian Leonard S. Marcus, Earthrise is a unique middle-grade nonfiction book about the astonishing photograph taken during the Apollo 8 mission that forever shifted the way we view ourselves and our planet.

Gazing out the window of the Apollo 8 spacecraft on Christmas Eve, 1968, NASA astronaut Bill Anders grabbed his camera and snapped the iconic color photo of our planet rising over the lunar horizon. Not long after the crew's safe return, NASA developed Anders's film and released "Earthrise" to the world. It soon became one of the most viewed and consequential photographs in all of human history, inspiring the first Earth Day in 1970 and boosting the global environmental movement. In the decades since, this incredible photograph of our small yet beautiful, familiar yet strange, "blue marble" has moved billions to rethink their understanding of our home planet, and even their very idea of "home."

A companion to Marcus's acclaimed Mr. Lincoln Sits for His Portrait--a unique biography of America's sixteenth president centered around one famous 1864 photo--Earthrise uses the same technique of exploring a key moment in US history through the lens of an iconic photograph. This rocket-paced, compact, and highly accessible nonfiction book includes a trove of black-and-white images and related materials throughout.

This is perfect for elementary and middle school kids ages 10-14, or in grades 5 through 8, who love:
● Outer space, astronauts, and STEM-related books
● Fascinating dives into American history
● Quick and engaging nonfiction reads

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Earthrise captures the fast-paced drama of America's competition with the Soviets to reach the moon, as it recounts the hold-your-breath excitement of those pioneering missions. For young people who love engines and technical detail, it maps how rockets, boosters and stages were crafted for each type of flight. For history buffs, it glides, like a Ken Burns documentary, from a specific topic to the temper of the time. Best of all, it demonstrates the pleasure of browsing through a treasure trove of photographs to reveal the enduring power of a single image." --The New York Times Book Review

★ "The inspiring and dramatic story of how one of the most powerful photos of all time came to be . . . Provocative and thoughtful--rich in period details and timeless insights." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Very readable . . . A highly respected historian, writer, and speaker on children's literature-related topics, Marcus, who grew up in the era discussed and understands its complex history, presents the Earthrise story with clarity and insight." --Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"[A] visually fascinating read . . . Using reverent prose punctuated by numerous b&w photographs with detailed captions, Marcus notes how the picture not only inspired the creation of the first Earth Day in 1970, but also 'changed the way people understood their place in the universe.'" --Publishers Weekly

"Introducing Earthrise as 'an image that changed the world, ' inspiring Earth Day and the environmental movement . . . Marcus provides valuable insight into early NASA history with this account of the famous titular photograph, taken from lunar orbit by Bill Anders, of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 . . . Carefully captioned photographs and occasional dives into related topics enhance the presentation." --Horn Book

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world's leading writers about children's books and the people who create them. His own award-winning books include Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing; Listening for Madeleine: A Portrait of Madeleine L'Engle in Many Voices; Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom; Minders of Make Believe; The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth; Mr. Lincoln Sits for His Portrait: The Story of a Photograph That Became an American Icon; and Earthrise: The Story of the Photograph That Changed the Way We See Our Planet. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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