Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
In Skywatcher by Jamie Hogan (published by Tilbury House, 2021), a young boy loves astronomy and lives in a city with lots of light pollution but he longs to see the stars properly. One day his mother takes him to the country to do just that. They see familiar constellations in the starry sky and
I am an active Christian. I believe God created the world. I also believe we do not know how God created the earth, and I do not believe in a literal, seven-day creation. All I have learned about the big bang theory and the evolutionary history of the earth has only solidified the testimony that
Moonday by Adam Rex (Disney Hyperion, 2013) answers the question, “what would happen if the moon decided to stay in my backyard?” The town cannot wake up, the tide comes in to the narrator’s backyard, and they cannot hide the bright light of the moon. I really enjoy Moonday because of the ridiculous and bizarre
Light Up the Night by Jean Reidy (and illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine; Disney Hyperion, 2011) is the story of a young child recognizing his place in the universe. The boy imagines he flies in a rocket to see the night stars in his universe. He introduces us the planets of his universe, then the earth, then
Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations are always sure to be a winning set, and those in Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (Little, Brown, 2011) are no exception. Pinkney weaves the words of Jane Taylor’s familiar children’s rhyme in with the creative imaginative adventures of a sleepy chipmunk. As the chipmunk climbs the foliage, he soars through the sky on a
Footprints on the Moon by Mark Haddon (illustrated by Christian Birmingham; Candlewick Press, 1996). I have not read many memoir picture books, but this one worked wonderfully. Best-selling author Mark Haddon writes of his own childhood studying the solar system and dreaming about the moon, then shows him tuned in the television, watching the first humans
The best part of The Moon by Seymour Simon (Simon and Schuster, 2003) is the gorgeous NASA photographs on every page. It brings his basic facts to life. I personally loved pouring over the photos. Although the paragraphs are definitely a bit lengthy for a three-year-old, my son and I went through the book a few
Moon by Steve Tomecek (illustrated by Lisa Chauncy Guida; National Geographic Kids, 2005; Jump into Science! series) introduces young readers to basic facts about the moon with cartoon illustrations featuring a fun and friendly cat. It’s an easy to read picture book to read aloud, and not too dense. My three-year-old son and I read the
I’ve mentioned before that I love Gail Gibbons’ nonfiction picture books: she does a great job at capturing a subject with lots of detail, but presenting it in a way that kids can understand. The Moon Book (Holiday House, 1997) is no exception. While it is illustrated, it is not cartoony. Gibbons provides a readable picture book,
In a fantastic dream, a young boy travels to the moon in a plane in the picture book Moon Plane by Peter McCarty (Henry Holt, 2006). Once there, he walks and jumps on the moon, which feels like flying. There is little science in this book, since of course airplanes don’t fly out of the
In The Planets by Dava Sobel, one learns of the trivia and facts associated with each planet, as well as the moon and sun, in poetic terms. Scientist Dava Sobel, a New York Times bestselling author, shows that science can be beautiful and lyrical, not technical. Among other things, she tells of the mythology of
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