Review by Booklist Review
K-Gr. 3. A new entry in the Jump into Science series once again uses an engaging picture-book format to introduce basic facts about a topic, here our closest neighbor in space. Short, uncomplicated sentences discuss the moon's relative size, its surface, Galileo's observations, and crater formation. In such a simplified format, it is hard to convey some concepts fully. Despite the full-spread illustration of the moon rotating around Earth, for example, children may need help understanding the discussion of how, exactly, light changes the appearance of the moon's shape. But Guida's artwork, in bright, saturated colors, will easily draw children into the science; each spread features a polka-dot-winged firefly and a grinning calico cat resembling a young child in rumpled shorts and a T-shirt. Tomecek's words encourage a sense of awe and wonder not only about the moon, where the footprints of the first lunar astronauts are still visible, but also about Earth, which, from the moon, appears to be a special place . . . full of light and color . . and unlike anything else in the sky. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-2-A cartoon cat and bug explain scientific history and concepts regarding the Earth's moon: its ever-changing appearance, composition, comparisons to Earth and the sun, Galileo's observations and discoveries in 1609, astronauts, orbits, and other topics. Busy, colorful borders are full of decorative details based on the main pictures. A concluding craft project gives instructions on how to make craters. While the use of a cat as a narrator detracts from the authenticity of this title as nonfiction, the material is reliable. Some students might be confused by the explanations of the Moon's orbit and size comparisons, but, as a whole, the book will appeal to children just starting to browse the nonfiction shelves. Pair it with Seymour Simon's The Moon (S & S, 1984), as its photographs will fascinate children.-Heather Ver Voort, Washington West Elementary, Olean, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Tomecek includes a great deal of basic information about the moon in straightforward explanations understandable to young children. He starts with observations and myths, then moves to scientific explanations for craters, moon surface conditions, and earth-moon-sun spatial relationships. The colorful cartoonlike illustrations, featuring a friendly cat and firefly, are appealing but do little to aid in scientific understanding. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The latest in the Jump Into Science series is another thumbs up for the author as well as for future space walkers. Tomecek explains the major misconceptions and confusing actions of our moon in easy-to-understand language coupled with an adorable cat and lightning bug that illustrate the concepts. What is the moon made of? What causes the "man in the moon" illusion? Why does the moon seem to change shape? The answers to these questions will change the way young readers gaze up at the sky, and make them want to leave their footprints on the moon just as Neil Armstrong did back in 1969. A follow-up activity will have experimenters dropping differently sized pebbles into a pan of flour to model the way that craters form the dark spots we see on the moon's surface. The vibrantly colored illustrations are simply detailed in order to focus the reader's attention. A great in-depth look at how the moon's features formed and a starting place to understanding the changing shape of the moon. (Nonfiction. 5-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
