Recreating Apollo 11 Mission for a stem book
Historical fiction illustration
Before beginning work on a new book, whether as an author or illustrator, I spend months collecting inspirational and research materials to become familiar with the story's theme and gather inspirational images for the book's art direction. I would build a new Pinterest board for each book I will be working on. But I didn't create any Pinterest with Bonnie's Rocket.
Bonnie's Rocket is a historical fiction novel comprised of two parallel stories. The first is about a little girl who aspires to become a rocket scientist like her father. The second is about her father, an engineer at NASA on the Apollo 11 mission, based on the real-life experiences of the author, Emeline's grandfather.
I want to respectfully and accurately portray Emeline's grandfather's story and all the scientific and historical events during the moon landing mission. I spent several months going through NASA's archive to create a research library manually before sketching my first draft.
I want to recreate 1960s NASA in the book by integrating real historical photos and records in the illustrations. One of the illustrations is a recreation of the famous NASA blackboard.
“In a fresh perspective on events that changed the universe, Bonnie’s Rocket reveals to readers that STEM is at its most powerful when it is personal.”
Andrea Beaty, New York Times bestselling author of Rosie Revere, Engineer
Top are some photos of the clean room of the lunar rover. The bottom is a close-up of the book illustration.
Emeline's grandfather played a key role in developing the life support system for the space suit used during the moon landing mission. I was deeply moved the first time I learned about the story. It is uplifting to learn that an Asian American engineer contributed to such a significant achievement despite the high-level security clearance requirements at NASA and the social context of the 1960s. It’s inspiring to read stories of people of color who were able to achieve their dreams and reach for the stars. The top is a still frame from the Apollo 11 documentary film, which I used as the reference for the illustration in the book.
It was a lot of fun to recreate the joy of the historical moment of "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The top photos are from the NASA archive. The bottom is the final illustration from Bonnie's Rocket.
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a rocket scientist. I used to closely follow the stories of each space shuttle launch on the news. Seeing a space shuttle launching into the sky was magical and inspiring for a kid who grew up on a small island. It showed me that it is possible to defy gravity and achieve the seemingly impossible.
Emeline and I are super excited to be attending ALA. We'll host an author and illustrator book signing for Bonnie's Rocket at the Lee and Low booth. And that's not all! We are also planning something very special and exclusive at my artist alley table. So make sure to subscribe and follow us on our social media pages to stay updated on all the fun events leading up to the date. I can't wait to see you there!
Alina’s Instagram - @alinachau
Emeline’s Instagram - @emelineleebooks
Click the link to read all about Bonnie’s Rocket collection postings.
