A fantastical bedtime journey to the stars that could use more educational heft.
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.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9798891328075
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 31, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers.
Get comfy! This storyteller has just the right tale.
A beige-skinned elflike protagonist sits in the dark by a small fire and invites readers to listen to “THE GREATEST BEDTIME STORY EVER.” Quickly, we flash back to a scene of the elf, in pursuit of literary inspiration, foolishly following an eerie sound to a cave. There, our hero meets a fire-breathing dragon who is unable to sleep without a snack. Fearing the worst (the dragon is eyeing the elf hungrily), the elf offers to tell a bedtime story instead. After the narrator writes and illustrates a story and then reads it aloud, the dragon falls asleep. On the verge of escape, the storyteller suddenly comes to a horrible realization: “I had left behind the Greatest Bedtime Story Ever!” Returning for it, the protagonist steps on a bone, awakens the dragon, and is devoured by the creature. We never do learn what was in the tale told to the dragon, but the one the elf relates is absorbing, an entertaining metafictional riff on the challenges of storytelling. The abrupt conclusion may disturb more sensitive youngsters, but many will find it great fun—they’ll enjoy rereads knowing that the protagonist is narrating from the belly of the beast. Sima’s appealing digital art slyly alternates sweetness (the dragon clutching a plush toy while listening to the story) with tension and even scares (a close-up of that toothy dragon maw).
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9781665974523
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson.
After a visit, an African-American grandfather and grandson say farewell under a big yellow moon. Granpa tells Max it is the same moon he will see when he gets home.
This gently told story uses Max’s fascination with the moon’s ability to “tag along” where his family’s car goes as a metaphor for his grandfather’s constant love. Separating the two relatives is “a swervy-curvy road” that travels up and down hills, over a bridge, “past a field of sleeping cows,” around a small town and through a tunnel. No matter where Max travels, the moon is always there, waiting around a curve or peeking through the trees. But then “[d]ark clouds tumbled across the night sky.” No stars, no nightingales and no moon are to be found. Max frets: “Granpa said it would always shine for me.” Disappointed, Max climbs into bed, missing both the moon and his granpa. In a dramatic double-page spread, readers see Max’s excitement as “[s]lowly, very slowly, Max’s bedroom began to fill with a soft yellow glow.” Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape—sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle’s mirror—and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story’s lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece.
A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-23342-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
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