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Fun Facts about Neil Armstrong and I Am Neil Armstrong Review

Disclosure: Penguin Kids sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and participation in the I am a Travler Blog Tour. All opinions are my own. 

 Today we are sharing fun facts about the astronaut, Neil Armstrong. You may have heard his famous quote--"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Yes, he was the first human to walk on the moon, but there are other very interesting things about Neil Armstrong and I am sharing some of them today. This post is part of the I am a Traveler Blog Tour.



Fun Facts

  1. Neil Armstrong grew up on a farm without electicity. Around age 6 his father took him for a ride in a Ford Trimotor airplane.
  2. At age 10 he mowed the cemetery in his hometown, Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was paid $1 to do it. He did many odd jobs around town so he could pay for flying lessons that cost $9/hour.
  3. He earned the Eagle Scout badge in Boy Scouts.
  4. He got his pilot license on his 16th birthday even before he got his driving license.
    5. Neil Armstrong 1956 portrait
    Neil Armstrong 1956 By NASA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


  5. After college he was a test pilot. He could fly over 200 types of aircrafts.
    6. Pilot Neil Armstrong and X-15 -1 - GPN-2000-000121
    Pilot Neil Armstrong with X-15 By NASA (Great Images in NASA) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


  6. He flew 78 combat missions during the Korean War.
  7. He was chosen to be on the first mission to walk on the moon because of his humility and expertise in flying.
    8. Ap11-s69-31740
    Apollo 11 Crew Portrait By NASA (NASA photo) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


  8.  Six hundred million people watched the first moon walk on TV on July 20, 1969. Yet we do not have a good picture or video of him on the moon.
    9. As11-40-5886
    The Only Photo Taken of Armstrong on Moon By NASA photo As11-40-5886 (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/AS11-40-5886.jpg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


  9. After the spacewalk the three astronauts were put in quarantine for 3 weeks to ensure they did not catch any strange space virus.
  10. His footprints as well as Buzz Aldrin's are still on the moon. There is no wind to blow around the thick dust.
  11. The bag he carried to collect moon samples was sold accidently and the person turned around and sold it for $1.8 million.
  12. In 1994 he sued Hallmark for using his image without permission on a Christmas ornament. He donated the undisclosed amount from the settlement to Purdue University minus the legal fees.
  13. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor a civilian can earn from the US government.
  14. In 1979 he made a commercial for Chrysler automobiles. He hoped to help this struggling company and have them continue contributing to the US economy.
  15. When he learned that people sold his autograph on the internet, he stopped signing them.




From the Publisher:I am Neil Armstrong


Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon is the focus of the fifteenth picture book in the New York Times bestselling series of biographies about heroes.

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume tells the story of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon.

AUTHOR BIO:


Brad Meltzer is the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes for My Son, Heroes for My Daughter, and a number of suspense novels like The Escape Artist. He is also the host of the History Channel television shows Brad Meltzer's Decoded and Brad Meltzer's Lost History (in which he helped find the missing 9/11 flag). He lives in Florida with his wife and their three children.



ILLUSTRATOR BIO


Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career at Marvel Comics, and has worked on thousands of comics, including Cosmic Commandos, Monster Mayhem (Fall 2018), Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Pet Avengers, and Cow Boy, all of which he wrote and illustrated. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their identical twin sons (when the boys are home from college)

My Review:
We love the Oridnary People Change the World Series and this is another great addition to the collection. As will all the books in the collection it focuses on a trait that Neil Armstrong had and his trait is bravery. The overall message is that it takes one small step to start and continue a journey. What a great message for kids. I love how this lesson is brought into the book by giving Neil Armstrong's life as an example. The book is fun and has the cartoonish illustrations and word bubbles on some pages. It is being released tomorrow (September 11, 2018). In the book you will learn more about Neil Armstrong and more fun facts.  We love I am Neil Armstrong as we have the rest of the series. The series is perfect for kids who struggle reading chapter books but want to read biographies and really any kid because they are full of such fun details about everyday heroes. Hope you will read this wonderful book and take that small step to begin your journey!!

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