THE CHILDREN'S MOON

A “children’s moon” occurs when the moon is seen for several hours after sunrise.

Since children were traditionally sent to bed early, before the moon had a chance to rise, the moon in this picture book feels that she never has a chance to see children. She begs the sun, a rather haughty fellow, to let her experience seeing the young people of the Earth. The sun keeps refusing her requests until the moon gives the sun the experience of viewing his fellow stars in the universe, “and if he felt less grand…he also felt a little less lonely” afterward. The moon asks once again, singing out, “will you please-please-please-with-a-comet-on-top let me see the children?” Only then does the brilliant yellow orb arrange for the moon to have this experience. Told in the manner of a folktale, the story is followed by instructions on how to see the so-called children’s moon after the waning gibbous phase and a page of miscellaneous facts about the moon. The softly warm paintings feature the two heavenly orbs with many different expressions on their very human faces. They shine down on different places all around the Earth, and one final double-page spread shows a multiracial cast of kids gazing up. This can be used effectively as a bedtime story at home or as a playful adjunct to lessons about the sun and the moon and their places in the solar system.

Smooth prose and amusing illustrations explain a monthly astronomical occurrence.