Review by Booklist Review
Ellie Foraker loved sewing as a child. As an adult, she worked as a seamstress. When a company engineer noticed the precise stitches in her work, he invited Ellie and her co-workers to help design and produce a prototype for a space suit competition. They collaborated on a new idea: a soft, flexible suit made of 21 thin layers meticulously stitched together. Engineers and military designers from other companies entered their own space suits, but Ellie's company won the contract. On July 20, 1969, the seamstresses gathered to watch astronauts wearing their flawless space suits on the moon. The writing is as straightforward as the colorful, digital illustrations. Inspired by real people & events, says a note on the book's cover. Apart from a few biographical facts about Foraker on the dedication page, it's hard to know how much of this picture book is factual and what is fictionalized. In any case, it's a good, simple story that many children will enjoy, and one of the few Apollo 11-related picture books to feature women.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The individuals who helped put a man on the moon were not just rocket scientists--and certainly not just men. Inspired by a real-life historical figure, Donald introduces Eleanor "Ellie" Foraker, who, early in her life, discovers a love of sewing and clothing design. As an adult, Foraker is employed at a clothing company; when her employer enters a competition to sew spacesuits for Apollo astronauts, Foraker leads the team. Landy's quiet, cartoony artwork depicts the subject and her fellow seamstresses as they brainstorm suit designs, troubleshoot, and put in tireless hours sewing ("within 1/64 of an inch," notes one of the many stated facts). When astronauts test the suits alongside other designs, theirs is deemed "comfortable. Heat resistant. Light enough to walk on the moon," and wins. Readers won't gain a strong sense of Foraker as a distinctive character, and the book feels aimed at those younger than the stated age range, but Donald provides a window into a little-told piece of history that is sure to intrigue. Ages 4--9. (June)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Who would have guessed from standard-issue histories of the space race that the spacesuits worn on the moon were largely the work of women employed by the manufacturer of Playtex bras and lines of baby wear?Here, in a profile that laudably focuses on her subject's unusual skills, dedicated work ethic, and uncommon attention to detail rather than her gender or family life, Donald takes Eleanor "Ellie" Foraker from childhood fascination with needle and thread to work at ILC Dover, then on to the team that created the safe, flexible A7L spacesuitbeating out firms of military designers and engineers to win a NASA competition. Though the author clearly attempts to steer clear of sexist language, she still leaves Foraker and her co-workers dubbed "seamstresses" throughout and "engineer" rather unfairly (all so designated presenting male here) defined in the glossary as "someone who designs and makes things." Still, her descriptions of the suit's concepts and construction are clear and specific enough to give readers a real appreciation for the technical challenges that were faced and solved. Landy gives the figures in her cleanly drawn illustrations individual features along with period hair and clothing, varying skin tones so that though most are white, at least two are women of color. An outstanding contribution to the recent spate of reminders that women too helped send men to the moon. (Informational picture book. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
