The Great Moon Hoax

March 1, 2011

Gr 3-5-This picture book is based on an 1835 scandal created by the New York Sun. To increase sales, the newspaper printed fake articles about bizarre creatures on the moon seen through a newfangled telescope, and newsboys Jake and Charlie hawk the sensational editions on the street. The book chronicles some of the details actually published by the Sun as well as the boys' joy over making more money, their hopefulness that the stories are real, and their descent back to reality when the truth is revealed. The story is too simplistic to pare down to a lesson about the wrongs of lying, and the ramifications of a media source's scheme to make money via false claims are too complicated for young readers to process. The rather gloomy collages of quirky faces, figures, and scenes are interesting, but sophisticated. This story would be useful in an older classroom setting to jump-start a discussion of the very relevant issue of journalistic integrity, but that's a pretty limited demographic to consider.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

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