How to Be on the Moon

by Viviane Schwarz

In the follow-up to How to Find Gold, best friends Anna and Crocodile are going on another intrepid adventure -- this time, to the moon.

It's almost impossible to get to the moon. It's out in space, which is dark and empty, and it's very far away. If Anna and Crocodile are going to make it to the moon, they'll need some special skills, like being able to do math and having a lot of patience. They'll also need to build a rocket. Not to mention the sandwiches for the journey. Luckily, when Anna and Crocodile put their minds together, nothing can stand in their way. Full of the same cheerful charm that made How to Find Gold so endearing, Viviane Schwarz's pitch-perfect text and wonderfully colorful illustrations launch this story off the page in a true celebration of curiosity and the magic of imaginative play.

Genres: Picture Books, Space, Childrens, Adventure, Friendship, Fantasy, Stem

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2019

About the author

Viviane Schwarz is the author-illustrator of THERE ARE CATS IN THIS BOOK as well as SHARK AND LOBSTER'S UNDERSEA ADVENTURE. She grew up in Germany and now lives in London.

Reviews

[J.L. Slipak]

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is about imagination and being creative, having dreams and exploring them. The paragraphs are longer and words a bit harder. The use of dialogue is added. Topic material is more advanced, so this picture book would be for older children or those readers in this category who are more advanced.

I'm just not a fan of the illustrations. Although they are bright and the MC is cute, they're just not entertaining enough for me. One-dimensional characters seem 'flat' and lifeless compared to two-dimensional. The adventure the MC goes on with her friend is clever and well written.

This book is just okay for me.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really lovely story about a trip to the moon. The creativity was outstanding.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the possibility of the impossible and just opens up the door to “you can do anything you put your mind to. Be informed, be prepared and take a risk!” I love how it stresses the importance of math, being patient, being prepared and using tons of imagination to make your dreams come true. It is a wonderful, creative STEAM book to just open a young child's mind to possibility. Everyone's a winner in this book-which is great, as attaining your dreams are not a competition but a journey to the unknown. It even has a nice tie into the concept that “far away” does not mean gone, it is just different which would work well for a family move, a death...love this book! The book is full of sweet smiles, an androgynous child and a sweet wild beast. The colors on gray background works very well to give the feeling of space.
I highly recommend it and cannot wait to share it with my granddaughter!
Thank you to Candlewick Press for sending me this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
For more information about me, please visit alwaysbedancing dot com

[Margaret]

It was still there, white against a blue sky, early on Sunday morning. It didn't reappear again until seconds after midnight today. It's received more attention than usual as people everywhere are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 first moon landing on July 20, 1969.

Wherever you are on Earth, looking at the moon fifty years later, it's still hard to comprehend traveling 238,900 miles through space to complete the journey there and repeat that distance to return home. If you happen to be pondering a similar voyage, two best friends, Anna and Crocodile, who readers met in How to Find Gold, are happy to share their latest experiences. How To Be On The Moon (Candlewick Press, June 4, 2019) written and illustrated by Viviane Schwarz will have you making your own plans for a lunar expedition.

My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Saturday is the day! It's the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. There have been many books published recently about the events before and surrounding this journey. This is a fun book that talks about a moon visit in more imaginative ways. Anna, a little girl, with great enthusiasm, and her crocodile friend, with helpful and supportive ideas, are ready for their day. The girl says "Let's go to the moon!" and the crocodile responds "It will be almost impossible" while giving the reasons. "I like that, said Anna. "Let's go!" What happens on the trip and the return is lots of fun, like the game on the way that the one who can 'catch' all the sandwich parts floating around is the one who gets to eat it! Illustrations are simply done, focusing on the joyous collaboration between the two. The created spaceship is awesome! Thanks to Candlewick Press for the copy.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna and Crocodile go to the moon.

Anna is imaginative, and Crocodile is practical. Together they are able to accomplish the almost impossible. Anna wants to go to the moon. According to Crocodile, in order to travel to the moon one must 1) know math, 2) be patient, and 3) have sandwiches. While Crocodile makes the sandwiches, Anna builds the rocket, and then off they go. They explore the moon and return home to planet Earth.

The illustrations are a lovely blend of pencil, crayon, and watercolor. The use of colors and texture has an eclectic feel. I particularly like the depictions of the moon and its surface.

[Mikeal Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute story about a girl and her crocodile friend going on a trip to the moon. The beautiful illustrations help describe a friendship through imaginative interactions. The fictitious story is aimed at friendships and imagination through gravity and being on the moon. This could be read in a whole class setting or as an individual reader.

I chose this book to show students the importance of friendships. This story can be a great tool for literacy and fluency instruction. The teacher could use the story to model reading with expression and invite students to chorally respond as there are several repetitive parts students could practice with. This story could be allowed for discussions about the importance of friendships and could introducing gravity to students. I would recommend this book especially for grades 1st-4th.

[SL · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming story about a girl named Anna and her friend Crocodile who work together to go to the moon. Curiously, there was a lot of text in this that I would consider it an early reader but it presents as a picture book. If anyone were to use this for storytime or one-on-one reading with a child, it would have to be for older preschoolers, maybe 4 or 5...and hopefully it'll be with kids who have a good attention span, lol. I didn't realize HOW TO BE ON THE MOON was a follow up to HOW TO FIND GOLD so I'm planning on reading that to see what it's like.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna and Crocodile (from How to Find Gold) want to go to the moon. Luckily, Anna can count backwards and crocodile is patient AND remembers to pack sandwiches while Anna builds a patchwork rocket. Their trip to the moon is lovely but coming back home is even lovelier. This ode to imaginative play features bright watercolors that pop against monotone night skies and the moon, easily drawing the readers attention to the action of the story. Highly Recommended for purchase.

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

How To Be On The Moon is an amusing, quirky tale about one adventurous little girl, her crocodile pal, and their unforgettable journey to the moon. Sweetly silly text and pops of texture and color collide together in one exciting tale.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the premise of this book and the sweet illustrations, but it was not the most engaging or read-aloud friendly book. My Kindergartener loved looking at the pictures, but wanted to create her own story instead of listening to the provided dialogue.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna and Crocodile aim for the moon in this follow-up to How to Find Gold.

[Joan Arbogast · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun make-believe trip to the moon with Anna and her best friend Crocodile.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a cute story about having a good imagination...and sandwiches. Don't forget the sandwiches.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a fun little fantasy story of a girl and her talking crocodile going to the moon.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations of the little girl, Anna. And crocodiles are a favorite of mine. And I enjoyed the matter of fact use of imagination and emotions on the journey.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dragon and a little girl build a rcoket to go to the moon. Elementary and up

[Liz Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keys to doing something impossible:
Patience
Math skills
Snacks
A solid Plan B
A good friend
...and a little imagination.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a little too old for Ginny to really enjoy. Characters and story were good but not great.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl wants to go to the moon. Her crocodile playmate says it will take various skills.

(someone said it was negotiation in imaginative play)

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh, odd

[Sarah Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

5yo and I love this. A little bit funny, a lot of imagining, cool illustrations.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book! Beautiful illustrations, adorable characters, and on-point dialogue. It’s funny too! Great introduction to our “outer space” unit.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Cute story about Anna and her friend Crocodile, who go to the moon, even though it is almost impossible. They've got skills!

[Geo Hendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at the Queen Anne Branch of Seattle Public Library.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice follow up to How to Find Gold. The two friends go off on another one of their imaginative adventures- this time to the moon with plenty of sandwiches.

[Mary Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This warm, clever and creative picture book is filled with adventure and excitement. Anna is vivacious and confident. While Crocodile tries be be the voice of reason, explaining why things aren't as easy as she would think, he's soon swept away with enthusiasm and delight. Accenting the bonds of friendship and cooperation, the two make an unstoppable team. The story is simply wonderful, filled with witty dialogue and encouraging the use of imaginative play and embracing a sense of freedom and joy. It also opens up a new way of looking; of seeing The illustrations are fresh, free and childlike; rich in detail and colour and inspiring a sense of wonder and exploration. Ingenious, funny, and very heartwarming...adventures are always better when you go together.

[Emily Bruns · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl and her alligator friend learn the importance of patience while flying to the moon. The text is entirely dialogue between the girl and alligator, and the pictures greatly enhance their preparation and journey to the moon. This book is cute and fosters imagination and creativity.

This is not particularly useful in a learning concepts context, but it could be used to practice reading in the primary grades. It could also be used in the intermediate grades to examine how dialogue is constructed and written.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this dialogue-heavy story of a little girl and her crocodile imagining their way to the moon and back. It made a great story time read-aloud and my 3-year-old and 5-year-old daughters frequently choose to look at it independently as well.

Read at a moon-themed family story time at my house on 7/19/19: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...