Do your children share my fascination with the moon? These children’s books about the moon should be added to your reading list if this is the case. Stat.
This collection of children’s picture books about the moon encourages creative viewing of the moon. Your children will undoubtedly pick up a few moon-related information from reading these children’s books, but that is not the main subject of these moon stories. Around that glittering silver globe in the sky, we humans have for a very long time created myths and folktales. (Oh my gosh. Please stop me before I admit how genuinely purple I am as a writer.) Instead of reading books that provide technical answers, I have mostly concentrated on tales that tap into our shared fascination with the moon as a source of mystery, beauty, and inspiration.
If you’re seeking books with a lunar theme for young readers in preschool and elementary school, the selections below are particularly excellent options.
Moon: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup. This lovely graphic book shows the changing moon as it beams down on various places throughout the globe using die-cut pages. Both kids and adults will enjoy the text’s rhymes. Lovely!
Wait Till the Moon Is Full by Margaret Wise Brown. I loved this book as a kid since it was written and illustrated by the legendary Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams. A baby raccoon expresses to his mother his desire to experience nighttime activities and learn about such things as owls and “how black is the dark.” However, the mother raccoon informs her youngster that he must “Wait. a full moon, then wait “before being able to go outside and play with his pals. The nightly excitement of the animals will infect you when, at last, the moon is full. Avoid missing it.
Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper. This tale brings back so many memories of my early years when, like Max, I would gaze out the automobile window at the moon. Max sees the moon follow him as he drives home after bidding his Grandpa farewell. The moon travels along the crest of hills, behind trees, and across bridges. He questions if the moon will always be there for him, as his Grandpa had promised. Beautiful artwork by Floyd Cooper. This book is excellent.
How to Bicycle to the Moon to Plant Sunflowers: A Simple but Brilliant Plan in 24 Easy Steps by Mordicai Gerstein. Children with a spirit of adventure and a passion for innovations will like this new book, a hybrid of a picture book and a graphic novel. One imaginative youngster tries to ride his bike to the moon! Indeed, he does! All you need is a bicycle, a very long garden hose, and a lot of creativity. awesome fun
The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. A child discovers an aircraft in his closet and believes it would make the best spaceship. When he crashes on the moon, he encounters another equally daring Martian who needs assistance restarting his spacecraft. This is a sweet tale of teamwork and friendship.
The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry. This 1959 classic, which alternates between wordless color two-page spreads and black and white pictures with text, chronicles the nightly exploits of a group of siblings as they play outside beneath a full moon. It skillfully examines the creative potential of unstructured play.
Long Night Moon by Cynthia Rylant. Rylant gives the reader a tranquil and pleasant tour through all the names of the monthly moons in the calendar, and she starts with the January Stormy Moon and concludes with the December Long Night Moon.
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky. A wonderful story about the Porc. Water ponders the lack of invitations to Sun’s home. Sun responds that his home is insufficient for his buddy and begins construction on a new one. However, when water pays a visit, he fills the home, leaving no place for Sun and his wife, Moon. Can you guess the location of their new residence? The graphics, with their focus on the mask, are quite appealing to me.
Red Knit Cap Girl by Naoko Stoop. The moon is being sought after by Red Knit Cap Girl. A few forest pals accompany her on her trek because she wants to speak with it. A charming tale about seeing the beauty all around us.
The Great Moon Hoax by Stephen Krensky. Based on a true incident involving a hoax that perfectly encapsulates the yearning of the general people to envision spectacular events taking place in space. When The Sun begins publishing outrageous tales about what a South African astronomer sees on the moon via his telescope in the summer of 1835, Jake and Charlie are working as paperboys for the newspaper. Strange creatures like man-bats, moon beavers, and blue bearded bison! Amazingly, individuals did believe the accounts! This book isn’t flawless, but I’m adding it because my son and I found it so fascinating and because it inspired a terrific discussion about the difference between propaganda and the truth. Want to talk to your kids about how the media exaggerates newsworthy events? This book might be a nice place to start.
