The Moon Book

April 1, 1997
Gr 1-3-The moon sails regally over darkened lawns and houses in Gibbons's simple, bright paintings with brief, precisely worded explanations running beneath the artwork. Primary readers will find, in just the right amount of detail, answers to their questions about our planet's closest natural companion: its origins and phases, what causes tides and eclipses, the people and spacecraft that have been sent there, and even some of the stories and beliefs it has inspired. The author includes directions for making a simple solar eclipse viewer and finishes with a chronology, a sampling of moon legends and lore, and a page of additional facts. Wide in scope and visually appealing, this book will serve pleasure and purposeful readers equally well.-John Peters, New York Public Library

May 1, 1997
Gr. 2^-4, younger for reading aloud. This fully illustrated introductory book offers young children information about the moon: its orbit and phases, its place in solar and lunar eclipses, its effect on Earth's oceans, moon exploration, and the legends the moon has inspired in various cultures. Written clearly yet without too much detail, the text moves along quickly. The pictures and diagrams deserve study, as they help readers visualize such concepts as how the moon moves in relation to the earth and the sun and why it seems to change shape. Gibbons uses a spacious format to vary page layout, presenting each facet of the moon's story with a large illustration or a series of smaller ones. Her colorful pictures of people observing the moon seem all the more brilliant against backgrounds of midnight blue. A fine resource for school and public library collections. ((Reviewed May 1, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)