Liftoff! How the Apollo Moon Missions Made Alma Thomas’s Art Soar

Gr 2-4–Crews (Big Family Beach Day), combines the Apollo 10 space mission with that of African American artist Alma Thomas whose work entitled Snoopy Sees a Sunrise was inspired by images of the earth taken on that mission. On opposing pages, each spread effectively juxtaposes the narrative of the painting with that of the Apollo 10 mission, from depictions of the artist’s style and work on Snoopy to the astronauts boarding Apollo 10 and their live TV broadcast. Crews’s exceptional illustrations have bold color, clean lines, and depth with the occasional feel of a collage and their flow propels the narrative forward. The text connects and explains Thomas’s art and Apollo 10 while various text placements and fonts keep it visually engaging and integrated into the illustrations. Back matter includes a brief biography of Thomas, the Apollo space missions, Snoopy’s moon connection, a bibliography, and suggested reading. A small quibble: with Thomas’s use of color essential to her art, it seems like a missed opportunity to have the only photo of her and her work in black and white.