Liftoff!
How the Apollo Moon Missions Made Alma Thomas's Art Soar
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The Apollo astronauts gave people a new way of looking at the world—and so did modern artist Alma Thomas.
In 1969, people around the world watched as the Apollo 10 astronauts sent the first-ever live color television broadcasts from space. Abstract painter Alma Thomas was among those watching, and afterward, she began a series of bright, bold pieces inspired by the Moon missions and the marvels of space exploration.
In a dual narrative that weaves together key moments from the Apollo 10 mission with Alma’s process creating Snoopy Sees a Sunrise, celebrated author and illustrator Nina Crews presents a fascinating STEAM-themed perspective on an incredible scientific endeavor—and an incredible artist.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The artistic process of abstract painter Alma Thomas (1891–1978) comes to light in this smart dual-strand picture book, which interleaves the stories of the Apollo 10 spaceflight and Thomas's creation of the painting "Snoopy Sees a Sunrise." Opening language connecting the parallel stories orients around the idea of dawn, establishing the artist's plans "for something new—a painting about the astronauts and the Moon." Zipping backward by a year, factual narration shifts to describing the Apollo 10 astronauts' eight-day trip. This alternating pattern further contextualizes its conjoined subjects, describing Thomas's brushwork ("Alma's stripes") and the astronaut's televised broadcasts ("You ought to see it up here"). With the help of sprightly digital illustrations—rendered in bright colors with thick brush strokes, redolent of its subject's work—the stories crescendo with the conclusion of the mission and Thomas's acclaimed painting, its confluence of art and science creating an ideal STEAM read. Extensive back matter includes more about the topics covered. Ages 6–10.
