THE FINGERNAIL MOON

A young science enthusiast dreams of meeting the moon in Spencer and McKenzie’s debut picture book.

Tan-skinned Maddy, who has curly brown hair, loves science and the moon just as much as she loves her precious rescue dog, Spyder. She can recite all of the moon’s phases by heart and wonders what it would be like to hang off the edge of the fingernail (or crescent) moon. Of course, this isn’t possible—not in the waking world, at least. Surrounded by the planets and stars that decorate her bedroom walls, Maddy falls asleep one night only to dream that an anthropomorphic version of the moon has appeared outside her window. “‘Maddy,’ the fingernail moon said, ‘you dream about me all the time, so here I am.’” She hitches a ride at the bottom of the moon’s curve, and the two drift off on a global adventure. They drift up into the clouds and down to the Great Pyramid before returning home, where they pick up Maddy’s mom for a second trip. Then they exchange the grown-up for a group of kids from Maddy’s school who are eager to see the White House and the Empire State Building. Maddy and the moon then have one last quick excursion into outer space to see the planets—and even a shooting star. Her adventures make for a satisfyingly dreamy bedtime story, although one with more style than educational substance. Young readers with a passion for science and/or travel will surely relate to Maddy, but kids will have to look elsewhere to learn much beyond the phases of the moon, mentioned in passing while Maddy is in science class and again in the book. Gledhill’s soft watercolor illustrations successfully evoke the ethereal nature of Maddy’s nighttime adventures, though the large chunks of text surrounding them may put readers off at first glance.

A fantastical bedtime journey to the stars that could use more educational heft.