LOOK TO THE STARS
by Buzz Aldrin

Quotes

Buzz Aldrin’s Look to The Stars is a wonderful way to give children a brief history of flight, space exploration, and a vision of space tourism in the very near future.
–– Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic

Look To The Stars is an awesome and inspiring book! It includes all the high points of aviation and space history, but also many delightful surprises that add a personal touch of the author’s experiences. The illustrations bring the stories alive with beauty, and wake the imagination. I also particularly enjoyed the summary of the Apollo missions, the timeline which puts the events in perspective, and the quotes from aerospace figures throughout history. There is something in this book for every age! –– Eileen Collins, NASA's first woman shuttle pilot and commander

"Buzz Aldrin has always been a visionary. In Wendell Minor, he has found the perfect crew-mate for a vitally important mission: telling our children the story of mankind's greatest adventure. It will, after all, be up to them to write the next chapters." –– Miles O'Brien, former CNN Space Correspondent

“Buzz Aldrin’s and Wendell Minor’s Look to the Stars is one trip children and adults will enjoy.” –– Jay Barbree, NBC News, and author of Live From Cape Canaveral

“Look to The Stars is a wonderful book… a great walk through aerospace history. It should inspire a whole new crop of astronauts and explorers.” 
–– Andrew Parton, Executive Director, Cradle of Aviation Museum


Synopsis

Buzz Aldrin takes readers on a journey through the history of space exploration.
As one of a handful of astronauts to have walked on the moon, Buzz Aldrin has a unique perspective of space. And he serves as an amazing guide as he introduces us to the pioneers of space. From Copernicus to the Wright brothers, from the Apollo program to dreams of future travel, he reminds us that mankind has always looked to the stars.

Buzz's informative, kid-friendly text is paired with beautifully detailed illustrations by renowned illustrator Wendell Minor, and offers the perfect introduction to everything space related, including the development of the first rockets, America's space race with Russia, details of all the Apollo missions, and the space station.

Aldrin and Minor collaborated on the bestselling Reaching for the Moon and now they reach beyond that book to give young readers a concise look at the whole history of space exploration. Each spread provides a wonderful jumping-off point for young readers, and will no doubt inspire them to look to the stars themselves.


Reviews

From Helium Arts & Humanities: Literature 
On-line review by Aldrin A. Wilding-West

This is the Apollo 11 astronaut and moon walker’s first real venture into the world of children’s educational books.
Buzz Aldrin, already the author of a number of other titles based on the Apollo 11 mission and indeed his own life thereafter, is the first to admit that he’s not the world’s greatest writer, and employed plenty of help to get his other books off the ground (so to speak), but with the help of beautifully painted pictures by the accomplished Wendell Minor, this is an excellent introduction and indeed inspiration from this remarkable man for every budding astronaut and space explorer out there.
 
Mr Aldrin’s enthusiasm, experience and knowledge shine in this book and with the bright and detailed accompaniment of Wendell Minor's paintings, Mr Aldrin's belief and dream that we’ll continue to explore not only the moon but Mars and beyond are plain for all to see.
This is a marvelous book for youngsters and big kids alike, aged anywhere from eight years and upward, but also suitable for advanced readers of a younger age and interest.
Beginning with a brief history of our fascination with space, gravity and flight, this colourful and exciting book will enrich young lives with good, solid information on the history that lead all the way up to space flight.  Working through the first and most influential pioneers of aviation, to the first powered flights and the remarkable move forward into jet engines and subsequently supersonic flight.
Moving on to the first attempted space flights, the launch of the first satellite and how that pushed the superpowers at the time into what became known as the space race.  Touching on the moon landing itself, the advancements made with the use of space stations and orbiting craft such as the space shuttle, the book culminates in looking at where we are today and Mr Aldrin's views and dreams of where we might be in years to come.
I have no doubt that this book will fire the imagination of most every child that reads it.
Yes, I was indeed named after this man, but don't let my own enthusiasm take anything at all away from this book.  It’s a bright, colourful and informative addition to any young readers bookshelf and having my own children who have both enjoyed this book, and continue to do so, I’d have no hesitation in recommending it as a gift that would be well received.

From The National Space Society Blog:
CELEBRATE THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST MOON LANDING WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF SPACE EXPLORATION

2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon on July 20, 1969.
In LOOK TO THE STARS Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin – the second man to set foot on the moon — takes readers on a journey through the amazing history of the origins of flight and space exploration. Marvelous paintings by Wendell Minor bring the journey to life.

FROM Nicholas A. Basbanes, for THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Buzz Aldrin -- he and Neil Armstrong were the first humans to walk on the moon -- offers an astronaut's-eye view of history in the making; an added bonus is the art by Wendell Minor, one of the truly great book illustrators of our time. All in all, a most worthy way to commemorate a proud moment in our history.

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Astronaut Aldrin and Minor (Reaching for the Moon) offer a second collaboration, tracing the history of flight from the Wright brothers through numerous NASA missions to envisioning a future in space. Paintings evoke the 1950s–1960s era, while Aldrin's text offers a compelling firsthand POV (“I had the privilege of being on board the final Gemini mission”). Additionally, quotations from Isaac Newton to President George W. Bush run across each page. A wealth of information as well as hints of whimsy—as a boy peers through the porthole of a spaceship, the text says: “One day your family may have some amazing vacation choices. Where will you go?”—will satisfy those captivated by space. 

From THE HORN BOOK
Coming up this summer is the fortieth anniversary of the first moonwalk, undertaken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (see interview below) while Michael Collins piloted Apollo 11 in orbit above them. What better time for future astronauts to read about space travel and exploration?

Filled with quotations from famed aviators and inventors, Look to the Stars, Buzz Aldrin?s second picture book about space, is an engaging mixture of the history of flight and Aldrin?s personal reminiscences. The gouache watercolor illustrations by Wendell Minor convey the vastness and wonder of space. The final pages ask readers to imagine the possibility of Mars as a second home, riding a space ?tour bus,? and the overall future of space discovery. 

School Library Journal
All Ages
The Apollo 11 astronaut follows up Reaching for the Moon (HarperCollins, 2005) with a quick overview of the past and near future of human space flight. Paired with Minor's clean-lined, realistically detailed scenes of significant aircraft, spacecraft, and high spots, his narrative opens with Galileo, closes with the rousing suggestion that the opportunity to venture into space lies just a tantalizing few years down the road for many young readers, and in between provides a fact-laced history, capped by a complete tally of Apollo missions and a look at planned expeditions to Mars. Aldrin adds a personal slant to his commentary-noting, for instance, that his aviator father was trained by Robert Goddard and was a friend of Charles Lindbergh. It distinguishes this survey from other titles that cover similar territory and should leave readers with a clearer sense of how the past connects with the future.

From Booklist
Aldrin, of Apollo 11 fame, leads a journey through centuries of air and space aviation and action, from Isaac Newton’s theories on gravity to the future of Martian colonies and space tours. The text packs in a lot of information, including praise of lesser-known heroes like rocket designer Robert Goddard and fighter pilot Chuck Yeager. Aldrin’s experience gives authority to that which he chooses to spotlight, but he also takes care to personalize each entry. For instance, when speaking of the Wright brothers, he notes that he and Neil Armstrong took a piece of fabric from the Wright Flyer 1 with them to the moon, writing, “I think Orville and Wilbur would have been pleased—and very proud.” The art is nicely varied, switching from double-page spreads and inserts to side-by-side comparisons of craft. Historical quotes run across the bottom of each page, and there are two fantastic time lines that fill in details of dates, craft, crew, and much more.

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