"Godspeed, John Glenn," were the words of astronaut Scott Carpenter as John Glenn was strapped into a small Mercury capsule; minutes later in 1962, he was in space orbiting the Earth. Before this historic adventure John Glenn served in two wars and worked as a test pilot. After his space orbit, he became a celebrity and a hero. He served four terms as an Ohio senator and returned to space in 1998 as a senior citizen. His life has been a series of accomplishments.

Richard Hilliard not only authored this book, but also created big and bold illustrations. Hilliard hopes to see the day when astronauts return to the Moon and venture further into space. ( )

This is a very nice biography. I enjoyed it. It features a subtext that runs throughout the course of the book further explaining certain details of the space flight and other details of Glenn's life. Evidence of research is all over. This is a very good picture book biography. ( )

Reviewed by Me for Kids @ TeensReadToo.com

For John Glenn, becoming an astronaut seemed natural. After taking an airplane ride as a small boy, he became a Marine Corps fighter pilot during both World War II and the Korean War. Besides the numerous medals that he won during these wars, including being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on six different occasions, Mr. Glenn grew to love flying even more than he had as a boy. This led to a job as a test pilot for experimental aircraft.

It seemed only natural that in 1959 John Glenn was chosen, along with six other men, to form the Mercury Seven--men who would train with NASA to become astronauts. As they withstood the difficult training that they'd need before they could ever enter into space, NASA was busy sending animals, including Ham the chimpanzee, into orbit to test the body's ability to deal with weightlessness and other issues.

John Glenn's day finally came on February 20, 1962, when he boarded the Friendship 7 and was shot into space. After orbiting the Earth three times, he was forced to return due to a malfunction aboard his capsule. However, that first man-made orbit into space gave President John F. Kennedy the facts he needed to make a push for a man eventually landing on the Moon.

GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN is an excellent illustrated biography, perfect for a middle school library or classroom. For those students interested in space or history, this is a great book from which to gain knowledge of both. ( )