TITLE: ON THE MOON
AUTHOR: Anna Milbourne
ILLUSTRATOR: Benji Davies
PUBLICATION INFO: Usbourne, 2006
ISBN: 978-0794506179
SOURCE: Personal library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: 4 and up (Publisher), but I think children as young as 2 would enjoy this.
GENRE: picture book (fiction)
OPENING and SYNOPSIS: “The Moon is very, very far away. What do you think it would be like to go there?” A young girl takes a trip to the Moon in this fantastic journey.
THEMES/TOPICS: space exploration, moon, astronauts, solar system
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Although this book is fiction, the author intersperses lots of facts into the narrative. For example, telling children how long it would take to reach the Moon and sharing about the atmosphere (no air here!). I also appreciate that this book is appropriate for the youngest readers. Even a toddler who can recognize the Moon in the sky would enjoy this simple tale.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
- NASA’s Space Solar Exploration Kids site is a treasure trove or resources.
- Kids can ask a lunar scientist questions….here.
- Teachers Pay Teachers has several resources, and some are FREE!
- Here is a Mensa first-grade lesson plan.
- Smithsonian has an awesome collection of primary resources in its IdeaLab.
- Here’s a delicious activity: Oreo Moon phases.
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at authorSusanna Leonard Hill’s site.
Kirsten W. Larson 