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
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
A young naturalist’s delight.
A child longs to be a tree.
Eve, a young Black girl, lives on the edge of a forest in an unnamed African country where she can see baobab trees in the distance. She tells her parents she’d like to be a baobab tree, and when they reply that being a tree means being patient and taking care of animals and people, she insists that she’s up for the job—indeed she dubs herself Eco Girl as she sets out seed for the birds, looking after them the way the baobab does. To celebrate Eve’s birthday the next day, the family leaves to visit Grandma, who lives in the forest. On the big day, Eve welcomes a rainstorm, arms outstretched like a tree. When the rain stops, she and her family walk further into the forest while her Grandma leads, carrying a wrapped baobab seedling for Eve to plant in a very special place. This is a charming story that captures children’s curiosity about the natural world and their eagerness to be old enough to do the things they want to do. Illustrations drawn in thick black lines with beautiful washes of greens and punches of yellow, blue, and brown make for a warm and affectionate depiction of nature; readers will close this book eager to follow Eve’s worthy example. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A young naturalist’s delight. (information on baobab and other trees) (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2809-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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