Every year at the New York Public Library a list of the Best Books for Kids is crafted. I had a peek at this year's list and grabbed a few to read and review for the blog. Don't be surprised if you see a lot of picture books in the coming weeks. :-)

When I saw the illustration style of Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlmann I knew that I had to get that book into my hands. By the time I got through the first couple of pages I was looking up the other books by him and requesting them to be sent my way. I understand that each person has a different idea of what is aesthetically pleasing to them and that not every person will find particular styles of illustration appealing. With that being said, I cannot see how someone could read anything by Kuhlmann and not instantly fall in love with his artistic technique and his unique storytelling style. His fascination with the way machines work and how industrialization has changed the course of history has led him to create fictional stories about real advances in technology using animals such as mice and moles. There's certainly an element of anthropomorphism being used here but the animals also exhibit those traits specific to them (the mice meet at a cheese shop for example). This is another author/illustrator whose work is so gorgeous that I want to hang it on my walls. This story specifically deals with a mouse who is mesmerized by the moon. He dreams of traveling there so that he can prove to the other mice that it is not made of cheese. There are obstacles to overcome not least of which is that it's dangerous to be a mice who wants to break the mold (and build a rocket that can actually get him into space). It's a story of perseverance, determination, and rocketry. I highly recommend this to little ones who are curious about how things work and that dream of one day being astronauts...or to people who just really love mice. 10/10

by Torben Kuhlmann

age range: 7 to 10 years old

NorthSouth Books

Armstrong is a little mouse who wanted to show the rest of the mice that the moon wasn't a ball of cheese. He works untiringly to understand the concepts involved in space travel, and after that in creating a safe rocket ship. Despite the obstacles Armstrong never gives up, until his dream comes true. 

This is a picture book for older kids who are independent readers. It can also work for reading aloud to some younger kids interested in the topic since the text is not extremely challenging, but in this case I see its length as an issue. In any case the quality of the book is worth a try. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful. The story is full of them, detailed and expressive. I also includes many rocket sketches that I really loved. I read Moletown by Kuhlmann some time ago, and I am still impressed by his talent as an illustrator. At the end of the book "A Short History of Space Travel" is included. A book to own. 5 stars.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

* Review copy provided by Netgalley *

I knew there was a conspiracy about the moon landing.  I just knew it!

The story begins with a little mouse fascinated by views of the night sky, and the moon in particular, from his telescope.  He studiously made notes of his observations.

He excitedly informs the other mice, “The moon is a giant ball of stone!” and that, “The light from the sun is what makes the moon shine…”

The other mice are not impressed, however.  They are convinced the moon is made of cheese.  Of course they believe this myth, they’re mice, and mice love cheese.  They didn’t want to hear anything contrary to the wonderful idea of a whole moon of cheese.

I don’t want to spoil the story, so I won’t go through more of the plot, but our little hero mouse does make it to the moon eventually.  After some trials, and a bit of a nail-biter about some humans that are close to discovering him.

Along the way he makes a visit to the Smithsonian, where he finds there is a mouse-sized room.  “It looked just like the human museum above.  But these were mouse-flying machines.”

Mouse-flying machines? Who knew? I certainly had no idea!

We also learn that this little mouse and his trip to the moon might have had an impact on humans getting to the moon.  But of course that would be a closely held secret.

The art in this book is absolutely gorgeous.  The story is one that would either need to be read by an adult, or for independent readers a bit past typical picture book level.

A few years ago I reread "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet" with a tutoring student of mine.  I realized then it’s unfortunately a bit dated.  Written before the first moon landing, at a time people were still dreaming about it, I had to explain to my student a bit of what that was like.

“Armstrong” is a good bridge between young people today growing up after the missions to the moon, and the excitement of the first moon landing.

At the end there is information regarding several pioneers in science that influenced and contributed to space flight.

This book is absolutely perfect – wonderful artwork, an interesting, engaging and adventurous story, and factual information at the back regarding the human endeavor to reach the moon.

I received a free, expiring, copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

**An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Full review to come closer to publication.

Very cute story, and a bit longer than your average picture book. And the ART is amazing. Definitely picking this up once published for myself the nephew.