What comes to mind when you think of the moon? Does the moon exude mystery, magic, imagination or maybe possibility? Motivational speaker Les Brown once said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.” In JaNay Brown-Wood’s story, Imani’s Moon, a small but courageous girl did miss it, but she kept trying—despite teasing and doubt from others—until she realized her dream of touching the moon. All the stories featured are beautifully illustrated picture books with varying uplifting messages about belief in self, freeing the imagination, and concern for others. Happy Reading!
Max and the Tag Along Moon – Floyd Cooper
Max loves his grandpa. When they must say good-bye after a visit, Grandpa reminds Max that the moon above them at Grandpa’s house is the same moon that will follow him all the way home. And on that swervy-curvy car ride back home Max smiles as the moon tags along, thinking of Grandpa. But when the sky darkens and the moon disappears behind clouds, Max worries that it did not follow him home after all. Yet when the clouds part and light streams through his window, he realizes that Grandpa was right—the moon was with him all along.
I’ll Catch the Moon – Nina Crews
The gifted author-photographer of One Hot Summer Day uses her photo-collage images to take her readers on a dream-like journey of discovery. The moon floats outside a young girl’s window, shiny as a new quarter. And she imagines building a ladder to outer space, going up and up until she can hold it in her hands.
Imani’s Moon – JaNay Brown-Wood, Illustrator – Hazel Mitchell
Imani is a young Maasi girl with a loving mother and a desire to do something great. When she decides she wants to touch the moon, she works hard to reach her goal, even in the face of teasing from the naysayers around her.
Tambourine Moon – Joy Jones, Illustrator – Terry Widener
Noni is scared walking home with Grandaddy at night in the city. But Grandaddy knows just how to help. He tells her the story of another night, down home in Alabama, when he himself got the frights. It was the very some night that Grandaddy first met Grandma Ismay. And it was the night of the tambourine moon….
Beautiful Moon – Tonya Bolden, Illustrator – Eric Velasquez
A young boy wakes. He has forgotten to say his prayers. Outside his window, a beautiful harvest moon illuminates the city around him and its many inhabitants. As the moon slowly makes its way across the heavens, the boy offers a simple prayer for the homeless, the hungry, and others.
In the light of a blue moon, the second full moon in a month, Maxine discovers something amazing in the grass: a magical moon ring! Ahead lies a night of adventure beyond anything Maxine could have imagined, as she is whisked around the globe, from the ice floes of Antarctica to the sunbaked African savannah to the neon lights of New York City. Is it all just a dream? Only Maxine and her grandmother know for sure.
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