If You Were the Moon

December 1, 2016
In this inventive and spirited exploration, poetry and science come together to introduce young readers to the role of the moon in our lives here on Earth. The book opens on a young, light-skinned girl reading in bed; there's a telescope next to it. She looks out at the moon and says, "I wish I could do exactly nothing, just like you." The personified moon answers back, offering poetic sentiments that note the several overlooked benefits and often misunderstood facts about our partner in space. The spare primary text is supplemented by blocks of text, set in a smaller font, that explicate it. (For scientific clarity, the illustrations and tidbits were guided and reviewed for accuracy by an astrophysicist.) The text moves through the phases of the moon, then into the role that the moon plays in the ocean tides, along to the world of moonlit nocturnal animals, and finally rounds out with the ways that the moon has been tied into world cultures, including the moon masks of the Baule people of the Ivory Coast and Emily Dickinson. Each illustration is tinged with starlight, making the book a pleasant nighttime read. It's also apt for the classroom, as the glossary supports an introductory astronomy lesson. Orbiting between poetic lullaby and astro-powered essentials, Salas and Kim provide a great addition to a nighttime-window reading shelf and/or early-science classroom. (further reading) (Picture book. 5-8)

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May 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-On one level this is a bedtime story about the moon, but on another it's an introduction to the science of astronomy. The left side of each spread relates the simple tale of a girl going to bed, who chides the moon for "doing exactly nothing." The moon responds using playful analogies, inviting children to imagine its activities. If you were the moon, you would "hover near your mother" and "play dodgeball with space rocks." You would "catch and throw. Catch and throw" (a reference to the moon's glow being caused by light "caught" from the sun and "thrown" back to Earth). The right side of each spread offers a scientific explanation of lunar phenomenon, such as cycles and gravity, or glimpse of how humans and animals experience the moon. Hatching sea turtles move toward moonlight; farmers around the world use moon phases to plan crops. The luminous cover illustration, evoking the moon's glow in the evening sky, will have hands reaching for this book. Deeply saturated illustrations, created with acrylic paint and digital techniques, capture the mystique of the moon at night and make this title satisfying to gaze upon, even for little ones who may not yet grasp some of the more abstract concepts. VERDICT This selection can be appreciated on many different levels, making it both a wonderful bedtime read and a versatile early science resource for young children in group settings.-Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
Whimsy and science blend smoothly in this combination bedtime story and astronomy book. As a girl gazes at the sky from bed, the moon lyrically describes its activities: "Spin like a twilight ballerina" is turning on its axis, and so on. Luminous acrylic and digital illustrations enhance the text, with the fanciful phrasing on the left and moon facts on the right-hand sides of the spreads. Reading list. Glos.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)