ONE GIANT LEAP

Based on authoritative sources, a vivid account of the Apollo 11 mission by the author of On Top of the World: The Conquest of Mount Everest (1991). Fraser covers plenty of territory, describing not only the mission but also (briefly) the huge effort that preceded it, the history of the space race, the arguments of our space program's opponents, and the recent internationalization of the space effort. Using imaginatively selected details (``the astronauts could hear the fuel tanks sloshing and feel the engines swiveling to keep the rocket upright''), the author effectively re- creates the excitement of this historic episode and explains at least one point of controversy: Armstrong, after being forced to land the Eagle manually, climbs down and nervously fumbles his famous line, saying ``one small step for man,'' instead of his intended ``a man.'' Uncluttered full-spread paintings underscore the drama, with low points of view pulling the action toward viewers. Technical diagrams on the endpapers present libraries with the usual problem; still, next to this, Stein's Apollo 11 (1992) seems drab. Glossary. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 9-11)