A Moon of My Own

by Jennifer Rustgi, Ashley White (Illustrator)

Overview

Travel the world with the moon in this imaginative picture book, featuring beautiful silhouetted art, STEM/STEAM activities, and moon facts. Perfect for the toddler or young reader in your life, storytime, and preschool and kindergarten classrooms.

Read on the International Space Station as part of Story Time from Space!

Join an adventurous young girl as she journeys to all seven continents with her friend the moon. The moon is the girl's constant companion as it lights up the Eiffel Tower, Great Wall of China, the Amazon Rainforest, and more. Simple text and striking silhouetted illustrations accompany the story, and encourage young readers to think about geography, science, and the phases of the moon.

Each night you seem a little different from the night before
But I always know its you
No matter how far I go, you're right there with me
I'm really lucky to have a Moon of my own

Backmatter includes:

Explore More for Kids: information on all the places the girl visits in the book including a map of the seven continents, and information on the phases of the moon

Explore More for Teachers and Parents: facts about the moon, recommended educational resources, and activities for the classroom and at home such as a Moon Phase Journal, a Moon and Sun demonstration with a ball, and moon art

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584695738
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/01/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	532,580
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Rustgi developed a love of children's literature during her years teaching reading as an elementary school teacher and became inspired to write her own stories through her experiences with her young daughter. The idea for A Moon of My Own grew out of her (then 3-year-old) daughter asking, "Mama, why does the Moon always follow me?" Jennifer lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and daughter.

Ashley White is a graphic artist, illustrator, outdoor-fanatic, peony-gazer, and daydreamer, with an eye for all things fabulous and creative. Her illustrations for A Moon of My Own are inspired by her love of travel and her daughter who wears rain boots every day. When she is not exploring the world, she lives just outside of Austin, Texas, with her husband, daughter, and handsome dog, Tsavo.

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—A little girl travels around the world in her dreams, with the moon as her only companion. No matter where she goes or how far away from home she wanders, the moon is her guide and friend. Her nighttime journeys take her to fantastic places all over the globe. She visits the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Taj Mahal in Agra, and a penguin colony in Antarctica. As her travels continue, readers can see the celestial orb transform through its continuous cycle of phases. The book's illustrations are beautiful silhouettes, with the moon as the sole source of light. Each page shows the little girl interacting with the scene and not merely looking at it. She swims with the fish at the Great Barrier Reef and stands on top of the Great Wall of China. This is a good story for young listeners and a teaching resource for older children. It introduces geography and some famous landmarks. An "Explore More" section is appended and includes information about the sights, a map of the seven continents, and a description of the phases of the moon. There are also additional moon facts and related activities. VERDICT A lovely offering to spark sweet dreams, and a solid purchase for libraries and classrooms.—Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

School Library Journal

2016-07-02
Readers are brought along on a young girl’s imaginative nighttime adventure around the world. The moon is both a source of wonder for the girl and a companion that is always there. In the first-person narration, the girl addresses the moon directly: “Hey there, Moon. There you are again. / I wonder, why do you follow me?” Subtly, the author addresses some of the questions and observations kids make about this celestial body. “Each night you seem a little different from the night before. / But I always know it’s you.” These queries are answered in the backmatter, which further explains each topic the girl wonders about, describes and maps the places she visits on her adventure, describes the phases of the moon and gives further facts, and provides activities that can help children understand why the moon appears to change. Gorgeous silhouettes against a deep blue, star-spangled sky follow the girl, clad in boots and a dress and sporting a pageboy cut, as she visits the Eiffel Tower, the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Serengeti, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Sequoia National Park, the Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon, and the Arctic and Antarctic. Appropriately, the moon changes phase as the pages turn (the new moon is not represented), though it always appears as it would from the Northern Hemisphere. This just may encourage young readers to look up to the night sky and gain a new friend of their own. (recommended resources) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

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