This is another curious story book about Apollo 11. It would appear to be intended for very young children; the illustrations are stylized, and the text consists of very sparse couplets. Few pages have more than ten words. But read the text and you'll realize you're not reading baby singsong verse; this is poetry. "Edwin Aldrin hops around. / Boot prints left on ashen ground. / Desolation. Silent. Dark. / Tranquil sea. Barren. Stark." Eight Days Gone is a pleasure to read aloud to young children. They may not understand all the words, but the words are mellifluous ones. After all, the story -- a trip to the Moon and back -- is straightforward to understand from the illustrations, while the lovely words provide a sense of the strange and new. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Eight Days Gone." This book chronicled the lunar landing of 1969. Each page is a rhyme and includes 4 lines. I liked seeing how the author was able to detail the launch, landing, and return home all while incorporating the story into a rhyme scheme. It begins by talking about the day of the launch and how all of America was watching on that hot July day. It mentions the rockets, launchers, and then how the Earth looked like it was shrinking as they got further into space. It also had practical information mentioning their helmets, gloves, backpacks, air tanks, and space suits. This book briefly mentions Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Edwin Aldrin and their jobs while on the moon. The words were so descriptive and evoked emotion when talking about the desolation, silence, and tranquility of being on the moon, all while using so few words. When the men returned home, the illustrations showed crowds of people welcoming them and in the author's notes she goes in to more detail about the mission and their return. ( )

This is a very beautiful, very simple book about the first moon landing. The story is told in prose with short, simple sentences, or even sometimes just single words. I would tie it into a lesson on space, science, the moon, etc. Possibly ELA units on prose and poetry as well. ( )

Personally, I really enjoyed this book. As one interested in the vast unknown, I found this book delightful. The pictures that accompany are very well done, making the reader feel like a part of the action. This book would be a great introduction to any space lesson in a young classroom setting. I especially loved the way the book was written. The use of rhyming words as well as short stand alone word-sentences make the book exciting. Though the words are descriptive, because the phrases are short, they leave much to the imagination. I would recommend this book. ( )

Great introduction to the Apollo 11 mission for younger readers ( )

For early childhood grades that have an interest in learning about what happened in outer space, Eight Days Gone is the perfect book. The book can be an introduction for lessons on the moon, space, and our history of what we have accomplished. Feel like you’re taking your first steps on the moon with the illustrations by O’Rourke. They bring the pictures to life and give the students a visual of what really happened those eight days. The simple read is easy on the eyes and at the same time very informational. From the take off, to the placing of the flag, to the paths to our future, Eight Days Gone is nothing but a positive read.
-Becca ( )

In simple, four-line rhymes, Linda McReynolds has captured for a new generation the eight breathtaking, breath-holding days of the Apollo 11 mission. Eight Days Gone recounts the July 1969, launch, orbit, landing and return of the spaceship Columbia and the lunar module Eagle.

It begins on a cheerful, sunny, colorful day in Florida,

"Hundreds gather.
Hot July.
Spaceship ready -
set to fly."

McReynolds skillfully distills this immense project, this watershed accomplishment into its most basic elements, yet she disregards no aspect of the mission, giving recognition to Aldrin and Armstrong, the nation, the command center, Collins (who stayed aboard the Columbia), even the Navy - remember the days of "splashdowns?"

The words are not always simple, but O'Rourke's stunning oil paintings fill in the necessary details. The font is either black or white and appears in a corner, never obscuring the double-spread, full-bleed illustrations. Because of the subject matter, much of the artwork is in the creamy colors of the lunar surface, the spacecraft, and the astronauts' clothing. Against the black of the universe, the colors of the American flag, the striped parachutes, the faces of the astronauts, and the dazzling blue and green of the earth, demand the reader's attention.

Most striking is the painting of the "earthrise" on the black lunar horizon, a small astronaut placed in the lower left corner,

"Desolation.
Silent. Dark.
Tranquil sea.
Barren. Stark."

Our tiny place within the cosmos is illustrated, but is boldly followed by the illustration on the following page where the astronaut fills a third of the page, confidently setting forth across the lunar landscape,

"Haul equipment.
Careful test.
Exploration.
Lunar quest."

May we always be reminded of both our infinetesimal status and our immense capacity to overcome it. A stunning book. Highly recommended.

(Images and more @ http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2012/07/eight-days-gone-review.html) ( )