Rooftop Rocket Party

by Roland Chambers

Finn is fascinated by the idea of space travel. He longs to fly to the moon in a rocket to meet the man-in-the-moon face to face. So he goes to New York to meet the famous rocket scientist, Dr Gass, in the hope that the will realise his dream. But Dr Gass tells him the moon is made of rock, not cheese, and that there is definitely no man-in -the-moon. On top of everything, he won't even tell Finn where he keeps his rockets. Finn is bitterly disappointed until he meets the Night Thing, who invites him to the man-in-the-moon's birthday party. Could Dr Gass be wrong after all And how will he get there In a rocket, of course, and the rocket is on the roof-

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Space

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storytime- Summer Reading. I had kids participate while I read this. Before we began I was able to find a real picture of the moon and how people see a man on the moon. I also printed out a picture of the moon which looks like cheese. They enjoyed the background ideas that presented come up in the story. It is a great story to work on predictions. We also talked about how big the distance between the moon and the earth. The relationship between Dr. Gass and Finn is fun, with one being all about the numbers and Finn being imaginative- even seeing rockets where there are rooftop water towers. The kids got a kick out of the man showering. The illustrations help bridge fact and imagination. I highly recommend it for this year’s theme “A Universe of Stories”.

[Juliej · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why only one other person has reviewed this book. It was so cute. Funny Dr. Gass who is a rocket scientist and Finn who thought for sure the moon was made of cheese. Dr. Gass tells him it just is not mathematically possible for space travel but in his dreams Finn finds otherwise. Very cute illustrations, full of color and detail. I'd give it 3.5 if I could.

[Tim Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent picture book that hits on a lot of educational concepts: space travel, the moon, water systems, and others. It is fairly entertaining. I have not tried it in a story time yet but intend to today and will report how receptive the children are to the story.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finn has many questions about such things as the moon and rockets while visiting Dr. Gass, who always has a scientific explanation, but can he explain a party invitation from the Man in the Moon?

[Anna Lacina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another favorite of Julian's. I like the language. And the "night thing."