Ten of the Best Books about the Moon


In 2019 we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of a human taking his first steps on the Moon, but our neighbour has held fascination for us from time immemorial. These books contain stories and facts about our relationship with the moon which is both familiar and mysterious.


10 Moon Man


Tomi Ungerer, Phaidon, 9780714855981, £14.95hbk


Moon Man crash lands on Earth and is imprisoned by the authorities who fear his strangeness. His unique qualities (ie the ability to wax and wane) enable him to escape and he leads a fugitive existence until he meets Doktor van der Dunkel who builds a rocket so he can return home to his ‘shimmering seat in space’. Moon Man, as portrayed in Tomi Ungerer’s illustrations, is a very sympathetic character and this picture book


could lead to fruitful discussions about prejudice and people’s fear of the unknown. Moon Man is included in Tomi Ungerer: A Treasury of 8 Books (Phaidon, 9780714872858, £35.00).


Man on the Moon (day in the life of Bob)


Simon Bartram, Templar, 9781840114911, £6.99pbk


It’s Bob’s job to keep the Moon clean and tidy. He also welcomes tourist spaceships and gives guided tours. Bob’s daily routine is described in a matter of fact tone, and his disbelief in aliens is frequently referred to. However, the detailed, period pictures, tell a different story and readers will soon spot the


little green men lurking in the background. Bob has further lunar adventures, including Bob and the Moontree Mystery (Templar, 978-1848777491, £6.99pbk).


Ann Lazim is Literature and Library Development Manager at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education in London.


The Way Back Home


Oliver Jeffers, HarperCollins, 9780007182329, £6.99pbk


A delightful story about an Earth boy and a Martian who both crash land on the moon. They co- operate to find solutions so that they can both return to their homes in their respective craft. The


joke of it is, the Earth boy has to return home by other means to collect the things they need to effect the repairs and then return to the moon to help his new friend.


The Usborne Book of the Moon


Laura Cowan, illustrator Diana Toledano, designer Zoe Wray, Usborne, 9781474950848, £12.99hbk


This book begins with questions children may have about the moon and tracks our link with it from tales told about it, through astronomers’ observations,


physical exploration.


to humans’ The


sparkling moon that shines out from the cover and the careful


design means that you can read it as a chronological narrative or dip in as you browse and something catches your eye. This may be the Finnish legend of how the eggs of a giant bird cracked and the whites became the moon and stars, and the yolk became the sun. Or the introduction to Mariam al-Asturlabi who made an astrolabe in Syria more than a thousand years ago. Or the comic strip outlining the Apollo 11 landing. Usborne has also published a board book with lift-the-flaps for younger questioners: What is the Moon? by Katie Daynes, illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns (9781474948210, £7.99hbk).


6 Books for Keeps No.237 July 2019


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