What do you think?
Rate this book
Matthew and Maria Looney #1
Matthew Looney's Voyage to the Earth
Matthew Looney’s Voyage to the Earth tells the story of a boy living on the Moon who has always dreamed of space travel. Matthew is a typical Moon boy with a family, a pet, and a plan to fill a summer position at his father’s work. That is, until his world turns upside down when he learns of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the chance to be the cabin boy on a space expedition to the uninhabitable planet Earth.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
3 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Jerome Beatty Jr.
22 books7 followersJerome M. Beatty Jr. (December 9, 1916 — July 31, 2002) was a 20th-century American author of children's literature. He was also an accomplished feature writer for magazines. Beatty served in the United States Army, achieving the rank of corporal, and is buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 26, 2024
I first read this book about 50 years ago, and, after finding my original copy in our garage, I decided to read it again.
It’s a weird little book that I remember being a big part of establishing my lifelong weirdness, and I am giving it 5 stars because I can.
It’s a weird little book that I remember being a big part of establishing my lifelong weirdness, and I am giving it 5 stars because I can.
September 10, 2014
Such a fun series! I like all 7 of the Matthew and Maria Looney books, with Maria Looney on the Red Planet being my personal favorite. This debut entry in the series, though, is outstanding. Children's literature today seems to lack the depth and creativity of books like Matthew Looney's Voyage to the Earth.
There is a Facebook group for fans of the Looney series, by the way:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/37816...
And I think there's now even an e-book for this particular title:
http://www.matthewlooney.com/
If you're looking for books that make children think, this is a great starting place.
There is a Facebook group for fans of the Looney series, by the way:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/37816...
And I think there's now even an e-book for this particular title:
http://www.matthewlooney.com/
If you're looking for books that make children think, this is a great starting place.
August 20, 2012
Sometimes I'm asked what was the first science fiction book that I ever read. Does this (read at around age 6) count?
Matthew Looney and his family live on the moon. They don't believe that Earth can support life. Matthew's uncle is captain of an exploratory mission to Earth and Matthew goes along as cabin boy,
When I read this as a child, I wasn't aware of genres. It was just a fun adventure.
Matthew Looney and his family live on the moon. They don't believe that Earth can support life. Matthew's uncle is captain of an exploratory mission to Earth and Matthew goes along as cabin boy,
When I read this as a child, I wasn't aware of genres. It was just a fun adventure.
January 29, 2013
Like many who have commented on this book, I read it many, many years ago - probably when it was brand new. It was one of my first "science fiction" books and I loved the whole series, which I read repeatedly. It was the right mix of adventure, humor, and something out of the ordinary.
The date is the date of the annotation. There is no way I can remember when I really read the book.
The date is the date of the annotation. There is no way I can remember when I really read the book.
March 11, 2014
This was an unexpected gem! Written at the time of the excitement of the US moon programme, this book tells the story of a moon-boy that gets to travel to the supposedly uninhabited planet earth (and back, of course).It is a great story, with entertaining twists and clever world play. Fantastic bedtime reading. Highly recommended.
June 11, 2013
It was probably 3rd grade when I began this wonderful children's book series - my first Sci-Fi:)
January 29, 2013
I read this when I was a child, so I was delighted to find a copy at one of the several libraries I frequent (the Mountain View library, which has a particularly fine collection of out-of-print children's books). It's a book that I could read to both of my kids without qualms of being too intense for my youngest, unlike, say, The Hobbit or A Wizard of Earthsea. Having a book that both kids can enjoy makes reading aloud much simpler.
This book was published at the very start of the US space program, shortly after NASA was founded and the same year that the first person from the US flew into space (Alan Shepard Jr., called an astronaut as an aggressive snub of the earlier title of cosmonaut coined by the Russian space program). More significantly, it came on the heels of President Kennedy's commitment to Congress to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. So not only was there space fever in the United States, but moon fever!
Beatty Jr. writes whimsically about a lunar society somewhat more advanced than Earth's, but which cannot conceive of life on Earth. They have manned space exploration missions throughout the solar system, and the protagonist, a boy named Matthew Looney, is quickly faced with a decision. He must choose the direction of his life, between the conservative path of following his father in running a successful factory, or joining his uncle on dangerous and misguided spaceflights. Needless to say, Matt rejects his father's path and goes off with his uncle. People say his uncle is crazy for wanting to explore the Earth, as conditions there (all the water causing things to decay! All the oxygen! All the horrible green and blue colors!) are inimical to life.
The book is funny and often silly (there are a huge number of puns involving the words "moon" and "luna" beyond just the hero's name), but it also reflects the enthusiasm of the time for space exploration. An early chapter involves rescuing Matt's kid sister Maria, who has unwisely jumped too hard and become stuck, effectively attaining a low orbit in the weak gravity, which is a known danger on the Moon and a condition called velocipitis. Matt's uncle Lockhard comes along and demonstrates how gravity has a greater effect on more massive objects, using just such an object to retrieve Maria from her great height.
In another sense, the story is really about Matt's asserting his own individuality, and the space stuff is just flavor.
I enjoyed reading this again after all these years, and my kids enjoyed hearing it. Beatty Jr. gave a then largely unknown comic strip artist a break by having him illustrate this book, and so this is one of the first books Gahan Wilson illustrated. As a kid I loved Wilson's illustrations, but as an adult I see how much they influence one's reception of the story. The narrative itself is both more serious and more nuanced than Wilson's artwork, which renders the scenes simply and in an almost toddler-like manner. They go well together, but it's interesting to think how different the book would be if there were more detailed illustrations.
This book was published at the very start of the US space program, shortly after NASA was founded and the same year that the first person from the US flew into space (Alan Shepard Jr., called an astronaut as an aggressive snub of the earlier title of cosmonaut coined by the Russian space program). More significantly, it came on the heels of President Kennedy's commitment to Congress to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. So not only was there space fever in the United States, but moon fever!
Beatty Jr. writes whimsically about a lunar society somewhat more advanced than Earth's, but which cannot conceive of life on Earth. They have manned space exploration missions throughout the solar system, and the protagonist, a boy named Matthew Looney, is quickly faced with a decision. He must choose the direction of his life, between the conservative path of following his father in running a successful factory, or joining his uncle on dangerous and misguided spaceflights. Needless to say, Matt rejects his father's path and goes off with his uncle. People say his uncle is crazy for wanting to explore the Earth, as conditions there (all the water causing things to decay! All the oxygen! All the horrible green and blue colors!) are inimical to life.
The book is funny and often silly (there are a huge number of puns involving the words "moon" and "luna" beyond just the hero's name), but it also reflects the enthusiasm of the time for space exploration. An early chapter involves rescuing Matt's kid sister Maria, who has unwisely jumped too hard and become stuck, effectively attaining a low orbit in the weak gravity, which is a known danger on the Moon and a condition called velocipitis. Matt's uncle Lockhard comes along and demonstrates how gravity has a greater effect on more massive objects, using just such an object to retrieve Maria from her great height.
In another sense, the story is really about Matt's asserting his own individuality, and the space stuff is just flavor.
I enjoyed reading this again after all these years, and my kids enjoyed hearing it. Beatty Jr. gave a then largely unknown comic strip artist a break by having him illustrate this book, and so this is one of the first books Gahan Wilson illustrated. As a kid I loved Wilson's illustrations, but as an adult I see how much they influence one's reception of the story. The narrative itself is both more serious and more nuanced than Wilson's artwork, which renders the scenes simply and in an almost toddler-like manner. They go well together, but it's interesting to think how different the book would be if there were more detailed illustrations.
August 14, 2012
We all have books that are our personal favorites when we are growing up. This series of books, with their wonderful, whimsical illustrations completely captured my imagination. They are the perfect book for a kid. Reading them brought me a lot of joy and influenced my drawing style tremendously. For me, they were the perfect books at the perfect time.
July 21, 2010
Loved these books as a child.
May 2, 2013
Political intrigue in a children's book? How about backstabbing and suspense? This is from when children's books had everything.
June 29, 2019
Matthew is a moon native. He dreams of being a space explorer, including visiting Earth to look for life. He gets his chance, makes a very poor choice, but it's okay because it all worked out in the end. The story was imaginative and fun to think of a society on the moon, but Matthew isn't particularly nice or very smart, and I did not like that his irresponsibility is rewarded.
February 1, 2025
PLEASE BEWARE THAT THE AMAZON VERSION IS A BOOTLEG OF THE ORIGINAL. DO NOT BUY IT.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews