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32nd out of 37 books
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87 voters
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The Moon Over Star
In July 1969, the world witnessed an awe-inspiring historical achievement when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. For the young protagonist of this lyrical and hopeful picture book, that landing is something that inspires her to make one giant step toward all of the possibilities that life has to offer.
Caldecott Honor winning
...moreHardcover, 32 pages
Published
October 16th 2008
by Dial
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Journey back to 1969 and the lunar landing seen through the eyes of Mae, a young girl who has lots of dreams of her own. Aston's poetry pairs flawlessly with Pinkney's illustrations as we see a group of children celebrate the landing in their own way. They build a rocket of their very own with scraps from the yard and gather together with rapt faces watching the landing as it happens. All are caught in the moment of history except Gramps who isn't sure it has anything much to do with him. Bu...more
In this book an African American girl tells the story of her family’s experiences when the first men landed on the moon. She narrates the fact that her Gramps felt like this was a terrible waste of money. But all the same, she dreams of one day going to the moon herself. Her family makes a point of watching the landing on TV. and enjoying the nighttime looking up at the moon in wonder and awe. The girl notices the tired eyes of her gramps who worked hard his entire life. He notes that he re...more
Further back than my memories go, there have ALWAYS been footprints on the moon. They were there more than a decade before I was born, so I always sorta took this for granted. There have ALWAYS, to my mind, been footprints on the moon (even though I know there haven't), and there have ALWAYS been space shuttles (even though I know there weren't) and there have ALWAYS been astronauts and so on.
For my young nieces, we have ALWAYS known about extra-solar planets (some of which are earth...more
For my young nieces, we have ALWAYS known about extra-solar planets (some of which are earth...more
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This is a story of a girl named Mae who follows the first moon landing in 1969. This book is wonderfully illustrated with a heartwarming connection between a girl and her seemingly set in his ways grandfather. Mae is intrigued by astronauts’ moon landing and her grandfather thinks the money spent to fund the landing could be well used on earth. In the story Mae sits in front of the TV watching the landing with 600 million other people around the world. That moment must have been amazing!
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Abigail
rated it
Recommends it for:
Children Who Dream of the Stars...
Recommended to Abigail by:
The Picture-Book Club
Shelves:
picture-books
One summer day, in 1969, a young girl named Mae, together with her extended family, gathered to celebrate a momentous occasion in human history: the landing of three astronauts on the moon. Praying for the safety of those far-off voyagers in church, acting out their adventures with a home-made shuttle of their own, watching Walter Cronkite's broadcast on television, Mae and her family were moved and inspired by the events of this extraordinary day. All of them, (or so it seemed) but Mae's Gramps...more
3rd-5th
Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations in watercolors grab a reader when they first open the book. In the course of this 32 page book he has illustrations of a rural farm, where kids are pretending to be astronauts, to the span view between the earth and the moon, to the launch of a rocket and the surface of the moon. The realism that he creates in watercolor is remarkable. He created beautiful landscapes and also is able to represent the loving relationship between a young girl and her ...more
Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations in watercolors grab a reader when they first open the book. In the course of this 32 page book he has illustrations of a rural farm, where kids are pretending to be astronauts, to the span view between the earth and the moon, to the launch of a rocket and the surface of the moon. The realism that he creates in watercolor is remarkable. He created beautiful landscapes and also is able to represent the loving relationship between a young girl and her ...more
Lisa Vegan
rated it
Recommends it for:
those who like historical fiction & science/exploration; grandparents & grandchildren
Gorgeous paintings!
A story that ended up bringing tears to my eyes, even though I thought it was not much better than mediocre for quite some time. The story didn’t flow easily, I didn’t think, but it ended up being emotionally moving. The granddaughter-grandfather relationship is wonderful.
Not only wasn’t I in awe but I wasn’t even properly impressed with the first moon landing. Since then I’ve read books that have helped me to see the importance of that moment. This is ...more
A story that ended up bringing tears to my eyes, even though I thought it was not much better than mediocre for quite some time. The story didn’t flow easily, I didn’t think, but it ended up being emotionally moving. The granddaughter-grandfather relationship is wonderful.
Not only wasn’t I in awe but I wasn’t even properly impressed with the first moon landing. Since then I’ve read books that have helped me to see the importance of that moment. This is ...more
This is a fascinating personal account of the famous moon landing in 1959. The story is told from a young girl's perspective and she describes her family's excitement over the event. She highlight's her Grandfather's doubts over the usefulness of the endeavor, stating that he felt that the millions of dollars spent on going to the moon could've been better put to use by people who needed it here on Earth. But, in the end, he acknowledges that this amazing accomplishment was important for insp...more
Large watercolor spreads depict Mae and her family going through their day as they consider the Apollo 11 mission and what it will mean for their country. Though the blobs of color don't necessarily stay within the lines, the energy and realism of the characters is apparent. The historical facts of the Apollo 11 mission are touched on, but the story ultimately focuses more on Mae's reaction to the events rather than the events themselves, and this is a clever way to draw young readers into the...more
In July 1969, the world witnessed an awe-inspiring historical achievement when Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. For the young protagonist of this lyrical & hopeful picture book, that landing is something that inspires her to make one giant step toward all of the possibilities that life has to offer. Painter Jerry Pinkney & poetic Dianna Hutts Aston create a moving tribute to the historic Apollo 11 Mission.
(Goodreads summary)
The Moon...more
(Goodreads summary)
The Moon...more
The Moon Over Star
1st -4th grade
The illustrator for The Moon Over Star created a gallery of paintings in this book that are detailed and make you feel like you could return back in time and experience the first moon walk all over again. The illustrations are painted with watercolors that blend together. The people are lifelike yet picturesque. The text is very symmetrical and upright. The Author recites the time period from both the Granddaughters point of view and fr...more
1st -4th grade
The illustrator for The Moon Over Star created a gallery of paintings in this book that are detailed and make you feel like you could return back in time and experience the first moon walk all over again. The illustrations are painted with watercolors that blend together. The people are lifelike yet picturesque. The text is very symmetrical and upright. The Author recites the time period from both the Granddaughters point of view and fr...more
This is the touching story of a rural family during the days of the first moon landing. The kids are so excited that a rocket has been launched to the moon. They play Mission Control and astronaut and keep watching the television coverage. Finally, it is the night of the moon landing and everyone sees the great moment. Grandpa thinks that the space program is a waste of money but is glad that it helps the kids have dreams. With terrific touchs of realism, this story evokes the spirit of tha...more
Age:
Grades K-4
Genre:
historical fiction; science (space) fiction
Diversity:
African American; history
Illustrations:
The illustrations are created with graphite, ink, and watercolors.
Personal response:
The illustrations and the story work together beautifully. The story is full of hope and inspiration. The ending tied everything in the story together and made it a wonderful book.
Curricular or programming connections:
This...more
Grades K-4
Genre:
historical fiction; science (space) fiction
Diversity:
African American; history
Illustrations:
The illustrations are created with graphite, ink, and watercolors.
Personal response:
The illustrations and the story work together beautifully. The story is full of hope and inspiration. The ending tied everything in the story together and made it a wonderful book.
Curricular or programming connections:
This...more
Scarlett Sims
rated it
A heartwarming story about a girl witnessing the moon landing. What I found interesting when I finished the book was that the author is actually white and Pinkney's illustrations are what made it a story about a black family, hence the CSK illustrator award (honor?). It just goes to show that some stories transcend ethnic background. Anyway, it's not just about the moon landing, it also shows how the girl relates to her grandfather. The art is really beautiful and while it isn't an informati...more
"The Moon Over Star" by Dianna Hutts Aston received the 2009 Coretta Scott King illustrator honor. It is narrated by a young African American girl who is watching and listening to the news coverage on the US moon landing in 1969. She is mesmorized by this historical event and uses household items to construct a spaceship with her cousins. Her emotions are contrasted by her grandfather's lack of interest. In the end she describes how watching the moon landing unfold causes her to d...more
Loved it!!! I've been mulling around a review for a week or so now and just don't think I can fully capture how much I enjoyed and appreciated this story! It focuses on a family's experiences surrounding the launch of Apollo 11 and the subsequent moon landing. It's wonderful in that the little girl's enthusiasm and imagination are so vivid, yet this contrasts with her grandfather's perspective that the space mission is a waste of time and money that could be better spent elsewhere. Gradually...more
On a warm summer's day in 1969, crickets chirp in the long buffalo grass and it feels like the whole world is bubbling with anticipation. Mae and her family await the first moon landing which brings with it the opportunity for hopes and dreams to be explored and realized. Diane Hutts Aston recounts mans first steps on the moon through the eyes of a young girl. The story is told with heart and feeling. This quiet historical story is coupled with lively and moving, yet tender, illustrations by...more
The space race and the moon landing weren't just monumentally important events for science, they were significant events in the history of the country that relate to all elements of social studies. This book mentions the significance of Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon, and the tragedy that he didn't get to see it for himself. It's significant that Gramps believes the space program is a waste of money - this is an EXCELLENT conversation starter about government spending, scarcity, etc.
Summary: In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. That historic event inspires a young girl to dream big, in this moving tribute to the Apollo 11 mission available just in time to commemorate its upcoming 40th anniversary (Thanks powells.com!)
Audience: Ages 6-8
Genre: Multicultural Picture Book
Use: Read Aloud, Shared Reading
Life Lessons: Teaches children about historic events while also teachi...more
Audience: Ages 6-8
Genre: Multicultural Picture Book
Use: Read Aloud, Shared Reading
Life Lessons: Teaches children about historic events while also teachi...more
This is a book about the first trip to the moon. Children in the story even build a pretend rocket ship and use their imagination to pretend they went into space to the moon also. People all gather around to watch the TV as it broadcasts the first landing on the moon. And at the end, at night, this family that gathered around the TV also gather around outside like for a picnic with a blanket and watch the stars and the moon while eating popcorn.
2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor
This is a beautifuuly illustrated story that follows young Mae's life on the day the astronauts first landed on the moon. We see her go to church and pray for their saftey, and that of their children. We see her and her cousins pretend to be astronauts and we watch with her that amazing nigh when the landing took place. Mae tells her granpa her wishes to be an astronaut one day.
This is a wonderful story to accompany any unit r...more
This is a beautifuuly illustrated story that follows young Mae's life on the day the astronauts first landed on the moon. We see her go to church and pray for their saftey, and that of their children. We see her and her cousins pretend to be astronauts and we watch with her that amazing nigh when the landing took place. Mae tells her granpa her wishes to be an astronaut one day.
This is a wonderful story to accompany any unit r...more
A beautiful, verse written account of a family's fascination with the launching and landing of Apollo 11. Mae's interactions with her grandfather are sincere and heartfelt. Mae's interactions with her cousins is a great example of childhood exploration and fun. I was rather fond of Mae's thinking, her maturity, and her ability to dream. Pinkney's illustrations are pieces of art, remarkable, never has the moon looked so beautiful.
I read this to my classes today. It's about a farm family watching the moon landing in 1969. Simple but lovely. The illustrations capture the contrast between middle-class farm life and outer space quite beautifully. I worried this would be too quiet a story for 9 and 10 year olds, but they loved it and couldn't stop talking about NASA and what they knew about space landings after it was finished.
The Moon Over the Star would be great to introduce a broad swath of topics from the Moon Landing, its ostensible main topic, to social disenfranchisement for African-Americans, to Kennedy's assassination. It could also work as a general tool to prime the pump and garner interest for the 1960s in an elementary classroom that is otherwise unconnected (or feels that way!) from events beyond their own lives.
This takes place in the town of Star when astronauts first landed on the moon. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful. The story is good too, especially because in addition to the girl`s amazement and wonder, there is the voice of her grandpa who wonders why so much money is wasted on the space program. It seems like a good lesson to think about in these debt-ridden times....
In July 1969, the world witnessed an awe-inspiring historical achievement when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. For the young protagonist of this lyrical and hopeful picture book, that landing is something that inspires her to make one giant step toward all of the possibilities that life has to offer.
Lyrical is a good descriptor as I can hear the southern drawl as I read it. It also reminded me where I was when Armstrong walked on the moo...more
Lyrical is a good descriptor as I can hear the southern drawl as I read it. It also reminded me where I was when Armstrong walked on the moo...more
3-5th grade (listening)
After reading this book I can see why it won the illustrator award. The pictures are so realistic with the use of watercolors. The text is both symmetrical and vertical. I think this would appeal to many young children that are interested in space astronauts.
Science/Language Arts
Do a unit on the landing on the moon
After reading this book I can see why it won the illustrator award. The pictures are so realistic with the use of watercolors. The text is both symmetrical and vertical. I think this would appeal to many young children that are interested in space astronauts.
Science/Language Arts
Do a unit on the landing on the moon
I don't see anything either in text or in illustration that makes it outstanding in any way. Pinkney's water color has always been a favorite for many and there are definitely a few gorgeous spreads. Not exactly something I get too excited about, though. It is a taste thing, I think.
Christine Turner
rated it
The 1969 Apollo 11 flight and moon landing was an exciting time for everyone. It allowed people to see the possible in what seemed impossible. The ability to dream is a wonderful gift! I adore this book for the story and the message that it sends.
As someone who can remember Neil Armstrong's moonwalk, this book was especially appealing to me. It also has nice intergenerational interactions, as well as the theme: it is good to dream. The illustrations won a CSK award in 2009.
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Dianna Hutts Aston was born in Houston, Texas, attended the University of Houston, and worked as a journalist for several years. LOONY LITTLE is her first picture book with Candlewick Press. She says, "It was one of the hottest summer days on record. My mind, of its own accord, kept wandering northward, to a wilderness of snow and ice, the Arctic. While listening to the news one evening, I he...more
More about Dianna Hutts Aston...
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