EARTH'S MOON

A children’s book that gives readers a thorough, enriching new look at the moon.
The moon certainly has its share of folklore involving werewolves or green cheese. But what about the facts? How big is it, and what’s it really made of? And how do we teach kids these facts in an interesting way? This gorgeously written children’s book answers all those questions, and many others. It begins with an overview of the solar system, and then focuses on the moon’s formation. It eventually covers everything from lunar dust and the moon’s effect on tides to the dark regions called maria, thought by Galileo to be vast seas on the moon’s surface. It also covers, in great detail, the 1969 Apollo 11 landing, complete with facts and figures regarding the astronauts’ journey. It even takes a peek at NASA’s most recent moon exploration tool called LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer). The New York Times once dubbed Simon (Coral Reefs, 2014, etc.) “the dean of [children’s science] writers” so it’s not surprising that his latest tome is a wonderfully thorough, engaging science book. It’s often easy for kids to pass off science as boring (all those facts!), but Simon truly understands how to speak to his audience. His language is spot-on: never too dry, but also never too conversational. His prose urges young and old readers to press on and learn more about each topic, and the glossy photographic images add to the wonder of the words on the page. Another brilliant addition is the glossary at the back: It details, by page, the history and importance of each image, from shots of craters on the moon’s surface to historic events. This attention to detail will definitely inspire children to do further research; as such, this work would be an asset in schools.
An educational, engaging science text.