Press Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner, (513) 608-5777, chefner@cincymuseum.org

Cincinnati Museum Center’s beloved Moon rock tells its own story in new children’s book

Bok’s Giant Leap available now

CINCINNATI – “A piece of this young basalt is completely separated from its mother. Its brothers and sisters lie nearby. Let’s call him Bok.”

So begins the story of one intrepid rock and its journey across the stars to a foreign planet.

Bok’s Giant Leap: One Moon Rock’s Journey Through Time and Space, published by Crown Publishing in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) and Carol Armstrong, tells the story of how the Earth and the Moon came to be through the eyes of a Moon rock brought to Earth during the Apollo 11 mission by astronaut Neil Armstrong.

In 2006, as he was awarded NASA’s Ambassador of Exploration Award in Union Terminal’s grand Rotunda, Armstrong presented Bok to CMC as a long-term loan from NASA. As he accepted the award, Armstrong told the story of billions of years of lunar history through the eyes of little Bok – up to the day it was snatched up by a gloved hand and brought to Earth. In Armstrong’s own words, “I was the strange creature that kidnapped Bok.”

Armstrong’s story of Bok is retold in Bok’s Giant Leap, brilliantly brought to life by award-winning illustrator Grahame Baker Smith.

“The beautiful illustrations by Grahame Baker Smith bring Bok to anyone who reads Neil’s story of Bok the Rock,” said Carol Armstrong.

Armstrong was an emeritus trustee of CMC and former board chair of the Museum of Natural History & Science. He selected CMC as the recipient of the piece of human exploration history because, in his words, “a place of natural history is a great place for Bok to be.”

“Millions have come to know and love Bok here at Cincinnati Museum Center over the years and we are so excited people across the world will hear its story,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Neil’s charming tale of Bok’s life and journey captures the glee he must have felt standing in Bok’s homeland on his historic journey. Now, a new generation can relive both of their incredible journeys in Bok’s Giant Leap.

Bok’s Giant Leap is available now at local retailers and science museums across the country, including Space Center Houston, select Smithsonian institutions and CMC’s retail shop. You can visit Bok in person and hear the story in Armstrong’s own voice in CMC’s Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery, presented by the Harold C. Schott Foundation, where Bok is on long-term loan from NASA.

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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized, award-winning institution housed in a National Historic Landmark. CMC is a vital community resource that sparks curiosity, inspiration, epiphany and dialogue. CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012, one of a select few museums in the nation to receive both honors. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Children’s Museum, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX^® Theater, Cincinnati History Library and Archives and the Geier Collections and Research Center. Housed in historic Union Terminal – a National Historic Landmark restored in 2018 and recognized as the nation’s 45^th most important building by the American Institute of Architects – CMC welcomes more than 1.8 million visits annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the country. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org.

About Champion More Curiosity
The $85 million Champion More Curiosity campaign is shaping Cincinnati Museum Center’s future while creating generations of critical thinkers to power the innovation of our region. By Championing More Curiosity and helping build the future of Cincinnati Museum Center, you can fuel the economic prosperity of our region. Champion More Curiosity will build or reimagine over a dozen permanent exhibits and galleries and equip state-of-the-art labs for cutting-edge research for students from elementary grades to post-docs. Today’s wide-eyed explorers will be tomorrow’s innovators. We work shoulder-to-shoulder to engage our community in monumental moments of epiphany, wonder and connection. As we inspire all generations to learn, grow and thrive at Cincinnati Museum Center, we Champion More Curiosity. Consider making a lifelong impact by donating in support of Championing More Curiosity at www.supportcmc.org.