Dear Moon

by Maria Luisa Di Gravio (Illustrator), Stephen Wunderli

“We want to have a word with you!” Max shouts at the moon. “Face-to-face, man-to-Man in the Moon. We need you to stay where you are!” Max and Ely are best friends, but each night the moon marks the passage of time, closer and closer to the day Ely will go to the hospital. But the determined friends have a plan: they’ll build a rocket, launch to the moon, and keep it from moving. In this poignant story of grief and healing, Max learns that time will keep ticking and loss is inevitable, but memories last forever, and the ones we love will always be with us, certain as the moon will wax and wane.

Genres: Picture Books, Death, Friendship, Grief, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 29, 2020

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We could try and stop it," Ely suggests. "Then I won't have to leave so soon."

Ely and Max are best friends.

But Ely is sick. Like confined to a wheelchair sick. The kind of sick where playing is sometimes hard to do and Ely feels tired all the time.

But Max and Ely don't let that stop them from having fun and going on (limited) adventures.

But then they find out that with every passing night, Ely is one night closer to going back to the hospital.

So Max comes up with a plan.

"We want to have a word with you!" Max shouts at the moon. "Face-to-face, man-to-Man in the Moon. We need you to stay where you are!"

He will stop the moon so his friend doesn't have to go back to the hospital.

So, just as a fair warning to all the parents out there - this book was designed to help children with grief. Specifically, the grief of losing a friend their own age.

It's one of those books that you wish didn't have to exist but it does a lot of good by being out there and helping children during a time where the world seems scary and hopeless.

There's already a handful of books out there about death of a parent, death of a family member, etc. But there aren't as many children's books about the death of a young friend.

And considering in the United States, approximately 1 in 285 children are diagnosed with cancer before they turn 20, this is a book that is necessary.

It is heartbreaking and heart-wrenching but it ends with an uplifting moment.

And I feel like it deals with death and grief in an incredibly age-appropriate manner. The illustrations are gorgeous and truly provide a beautiful setting.

It is an emotional book but also a truly good one.

a huge thank you to Familius Publishing, Stephen Wunderli and Maria Luisa Di Gravio for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whimsical story follows two friends, Max and Ely, as they try to stop the passage of time so that Ely won't have to go to the hospital. If they can stop the moon from moving, then they can stop time. They build a rocket ship for Ely's wheelchair and try to lasso the moon, but nothing can stop the moon and eventually Ely has to leave. Max has to deal with his feelings of grief and his anger at the moon, but eventually he realizes that his memories of his friend are more precious than anything.

I love how this book takes a difficult subject like childhood cancer and creates a sweet story of healing. Even though the subject is serious, there are some light-hearted moments of fun. I love how imaginative the children are as they plot how to stop the moon from moving and how to build their rocket ship.

The characters are very kind to each other, working together to alleviate their fears. It's really lovely to see how they connect and support each other.

I love the gentle writing style. It's thoughtful and emotional, with just the right mood for each scene. It's truly masterful story-telling.

The illustrations are beautiful! I love the fuzzy art style and the soft colors. Each illustration really captures the emotion of the scene and quietly leads the reader through the story.

This would be the perfect book to help start a dialogue about grief, and give some context and guidance to help make sense of the loss.

(In the ARC I read, there are a couple of places with some punctuation errors, but I'm assuming those will be corrected before the first edition is published.)

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf.

A good cover grabs me, and I grab it, without reading the flap or anything. So this morning I had a stack of Moon books. And started off the top. Ugly crying before breakfast for me. Please consider this a public service to sensitive adults. It says Grief on the back but I didn't look at that. I just thought, cool for illustrating a child in a wheelchair for no special reason. Sometimes I am just that dim.

That said, it's a nicely depicted relationship between the friends, and a realistically depicted decline. Many adults choose books to read with young kids to help work through issues they might have trouble expressing in real life. In which case, this is an excellent book to help explain to your child about their dying friend. My preference is to read a book like this when no one is dying as more an empathy-building exercise without the emotional content.

Library copy

[Lo Wayward Tomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried.

[Noelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una lectura ligera que te robara el corazón.
Max y Ely son unos personajes que llegan para quedarse a pesar de ser una historia muy corta, esta pequeña nos habla sobre nos mejores amigos que cada día le escriben a la luna y le cuentan sus aventuras que viven juntos y en como quieren llegar a ella. Una historia simple pero conmovedora que hará que se te salga una lagrimita. La amistad de estos dos chicos es de las bonitas que he leído y las ilustraciones son preciosas y le hacen tributo a lo que sucede con ellos dos. Me encanto demasiado y lo ame ❤💖

[Thomas Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will cry.

[Jonathan David Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talking about loss & grief with young children is a hard thing. But it’s necessary. This is a great way to start the conversation. I honestly weeped after finishing this story.

[Tenaya Akin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lost my grandma from cancer and I was so sad and this book really helped me because Ely the main character got cancer and Max the other main character was so sad.
Tenaya age 8

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two friends try to stop the moon. To stop time. To stop the progression of Ely's cancer. But nothing works.
Metaphorical, and told mostly in dialogue, much is left unsaid and unexplained.

[Rainbow Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Moon by Stephen Wunderli is designed to help children deal with the death of a friend.

Grief can be such a tough emotion for children, but the loss of someone their own age can be incredibly difficult for them to process. I’ve seen a lot of books about grief, but find they generally speak about the loss of a parent or grandparent. This is the first one I’ve seen specifically dedicated to losing a friend.

In this book we meet Max and Ely, who are best friends. Max and Ely are trying to find a way to stop the moon. If tomorrow doesn’t come, Ely won’t have to leave Max to go to the hospital tomorrow. I don’t want to spoil the whole story, but let me just tell you that you will cry.

The beautiful illustrations by Maria Luisa Di Gravio really capture the heartwarming friendship between Max and Ely, making it easy for any child to see themselves in the story.

Dear Moon presents an imaginative metaphor for death that is easy for children to understand. I also really like the way this book embraces the emotions associated with grief, and shows children there is no shame in the sadness we feel when faced with the death of a loved one.

I would also like to thank Familius and Workman Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book to review. I’m so glad to know there are book like this out in the world when children need them most.

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[Topy.Loving.Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about friendship and that sometimes no matter how hard you fight, you can loose the person dearest to you. The important being to enjoy the most the time you have together.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.