School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 2-6 Uniquely similar in artistic design and writing style to Kuhlmann's Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse , this title relates the story of another clever mouse's fascination with the moon, which, his telescope shows him, is actually "a giant ball of stone"not the big ball of cheese that his friends say it is. An invitation to visit the Smithsonian Museum and its room full of mouse-size flying machines and some encouraging advice from an old gray mouse docent ("Study human knowledge") fill the tiny inventor with the determination to pursue his dream of a moonshot adventure that even a catastrophic setback cannot subdue. But police detectives are on the mouse's trail; locating parts for his rocket and space capsule becomes a dangerous game. As the small rodent pulls on his spacesuit, the police arrive with their sniffing dogs, just in time to witness the successful blastoff up the chimney and into orbit. Kuhlmann's exquisitely rendered realistic illustrationsmost in watercolor and pencilare filled with minute details; annotated architectural renderings show each phase of the mouse's inventions, then pieces and parts, in photographic detail as various components are assembled. "A Short History of Space Travel" includes drawn and painted "photos" and bits of information about scientists, animals, and astronauts who were key figures in U.S. and Soviet space programs leading to the first moon landing. VERDICT This beautifully illustrated story is a feast for mind and eyes and a strong selection to complement STEAM curricula. Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

A furry genius with eyes on the skies goes where no one has gone before.Golden-toned, lavishly detailed views of a mid-1950s world from a city mouse's eye level enrich a soaring tale of astronautic achievement. Inspired by a visit to that hidden wing of the Smithsonian where flying machines built by rodent aviators of the past are exhibited, a mouse resolves to bring back proof of his theory that the moon is made of stone (the other mice, understandably, find the notion that it's made of cheese more compelling). Persevering through multiple false starts and setbacks, including a disastrous fire caused by an experimental roller-skate rocket, he constructs at last an oddly familiar-looking multistage craft that carries him into space and on to a lunar landing. Clad in a space suit with an ink-bottle helmet, he ventures out to gather a souvenir rock and plant a tiny flag, then returns in triumph to be acclaimed by his peers. The illustrations are visually immersive for their wealth of precisely rendered period items and architecture, also adding side business both humorous and dramatic to the epic venture. Positing that some of the mouse's diminutive but exact design drawings later fell into human hands and inspired the Apollo program, Kuhlmann (Moletown, 2015) closes with a short history of our own early space travel featuring photorealistic portraits of that other Armstrong and like (supposed) pioneers. "One Small Step for a Mouse" indeed. (Illustrated fiction. 8-11)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Kuhlmann-s Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse is a hard act to follow, but this companion book doesn-t disappoint. Its young mouse hero is plagued by difficulties from the moment he resolves to explore space. Although he finds an ally in an elderly mouse at the Smithsonian (the mouse from Lindbergh grown old, readers will conclude), he loses his workshop and most of his designs in a fire, then has to elude G-men in fedoras who pursue him on arson charges. The agents and their German shepherds are on the mouse-s heels as he launches his tin-can rocket through the chimney. His mission is a success, though only the mice know about it-until human astronauts land on the moon and discover a tiny flag. As with the previous book, Kuhlmann-s artwork is the real star. Every spread is drafted with remarkable imaginative power (the mouse-s handsewn spacesuit enchants, as does an early experimental vessel, a firecracker attached to a roller skate), while the space scenes are NASA-worthy. This adventure will easily win Kuhlmann even more fans. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Starred Review Kuhlmann is no stranger to animal inventors (Moletown, 2015) or mice with a penchant for flight (Lindbergh, 2014), and his newest illustrated tale dovetails the themes with a stargazing mouse who shoots for the moon. Opening with a wordless double-page spread, a tiny mouse stands atop a pile of books in a cluttered attic to look through a gigantic telescope at the night sky. He decides to share his discoveries at a secret mouse meeting, but when he makes the exciting announcement that "the moon is a giant ball of stone!" his fellow mice refuse to believe it could be made of anything other than cheese. When a letter arrives confirming his lunar declaration and inviting him to the Smithsonian, the mouse makes the journey to the museum, where he finds a small room devoted to mouse aviation history. Inspired, the mouse decides he will design his own flying machine and travel to the moon mething not even humans have yet accomplished. Kuhlmann intermixes beautiful wordless spreads and paragraphs of text as the mouse studies, sketches, builds, and ultimately takes to the skies. Rich with adventure and the spirit of discovery, the text rightfully declares, "Nothing is too difficult for a clever mouse!" A concluding history of space travel adds context for the story, highlighting key events and individuals man and otherwise.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A furry genius with eyes on the skies goes where no one has gone before.Golden-toned, lavishly detailed views of a mid-1950s world from a city mouse's eye level enrich a soaring tale of astronautic achievement. Inspired by a visit to that hidden wing of the Smithsonian where flying machines built by rodent aviators of the past are exhibited, a mouse resolves to bring back proof of his theory that the moon is made of stone (the other mice, understandably, find the notion that it's made of cheese more compelling). Persevering through multiple false starts and setbacks, including a disastrous fire caused by an experimental roller-skate rocket, he constructs at last an oddly familiar-looking multistage craft that carries him into space and on to a lunar landing. Clad in a space suit with an ink-bottle helmet, he ventures out to gather a souvenir rock and plant a tiny flag, then returns in triumph to be acclaimed by his peers. The illustrations are visually immersive for their wealth of precisely rendered period items and architecture, also adding side business both humorous and dramatic to the epic venture. Positing that some of the mouse's diminutive but exact design drawings later fell into human hands and inspired the Apollo program, Kuhlmann (Moletown, 2015) closes with a short history of our own early space travel featuring photorealistic portraits of that other Armstrong and like (supposed) pioneers. "One Small Step for a Mouse" indeed. (Illustrated fiction. 8-11)