Welcome back to the Moon Book
Parade, highlighting five fantastic 2023 picture books that feature the Moon.
You can scroll down to see the first three posts in this series. Here’s a list of all
the books:
Full Moon Pups by
Liz Garton Scanlon
and Chuck Groenink
Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond
and Maribel Lechuga
A Few Beautiful
Minutes: Exploring a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox and Khoa Le
Museum on the Moon: The
Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface by Irene Latham and Myriam Wares
Thank You, Moon:
Celebrating Nature’s Night Light by Melissa Stewart and Jessica
Lanan.
All
the creators have generously agreed to donate two copies of their book for a
double five-book giveaway. Leave a comment on any of the posts and share it on
Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to be eligible. We’ll announce the winner at
6:26 p.m. ET on October 28, when viewers on the East Coast will have a chance
to enjoy a partial lunar eclipse.
So where are we in the lunar
cycle? Sunday is the First Quarter Moon, which looks like a half circle to
viewers of Earth. I hope you’ll have a chance to get outside and enjoy it.
Today, we’re continuing the Moon Book Parade with Museum on the Moon: The
Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface by Irene Latham and Myriam Wares. What an eye-opening book!
Greetings, Irene. I learned so
much by reading your book. It offers a wonderful fresh approach to our nearest
neighbor in space. Can you tell us what the Moon means to you?
IL:Two things leap to mind. The first is a line from a
poem by my friend and fellow Alabamian Joe Whitten, in which he referred to
himself as a “fickle moon” to his wife’s “constant sun.” I definitely see
myself as more moon that sun. Perhaps most poets are!
The second thing is the phrase
“same moon.” I, like everyone else, have experienced separation from loved
ones, and so many times, what brings me comfort is thinking about and gazing at
the “same moon” we all share, no matter our differences in location, ideology,
history, etc.
How did the idea for Museum on the Moon: The
Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface come to you?
IL: It goes back to my space-loving son Daniel (now an
adult)—to whom the book is dedicated. I loved sharing his passion for all
things moon, NASA, and space! Somewhere along the way this idea found its way
into my “Idea” notebook. Then in 2022 when
the space news was full of Artemis and the plan to go back to the moon, I knew
it was finally time to actually write this book.
What was the most challenging
part of writing the book?
IL: Along with a poem about something left on the moon
(a family photograph! A hammer! A falcon feather! A book!), each spread has a
prose text box to provide additional information. These needed to be pithy! And
I wanted to be sure not to assume children’s knowledge or go off into worm
holes. I also love long sentences, which can be a problem for this age group.
So I spent A LOT of time and effort crafting those prose pieces. I also recruited author and space enthusiast Jennifer Swanson for help.
Museum on the Moon: The
Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface came out in August. How did you celebrate?
IL: I celebrated by moongazing, of course! And by
reading some moon poems. Also, by visiting the Huntsville Space and Rocket
Center to explore actual moon artifacts with some of my favorite humans. And I
created for myself this cute vest embellished with NASA flight patches. I wear
it all the time!
What do you hope readers will
take away from the book?
IL: I hope readers see the moon in a new way—not just
a cold, dusty satellite, but a living collection and record of humanity. And I
hope they come away thinking of ways to answer new questions, like: What
should we do with all the trash and space junk on the moon? Should places where
artifacts exist on the moon be preserved as heritage sites? In this new age of
space travel, how (and what!) new items should be added to the museum on the
moon?
Do you have a favorite spread
in the book?
IL: Myriam Wares did a lovely job with the
illustrations! I especially love the “Forever Footprints” spread and the
“Epitaph” spread. Oh, and the “Peace” spread! Also, her rendering on the final
“This Poem is an Outpost” spread of what a moon colony might look like is
imaginative and inspiring.
Can you share a couple other
Moon-themed children’s book that you love?
IL: I am currently in love with a poetry anthology
published in the UK by Otter-Barry: Moonstruck!
Poems About Our Moon
edited by Roger Stevens, illus. by Ed Boxall. Also, I love so many poems
written by members of the Poetry Friday community. You can read these offerings
anytime (for free!) at my Moon-themed padlet. Thanks so much for having me, Melissa! And so many
congratulations to you, Jessica, and the other creators included in this Moon
Book Parade. The Moon must be so pleased by all the attention she’s getting. 🙂
Next Thursday, the Moon Book
Parade will conclude with an interview of Jessica
Lanan,
the uber-talented illustrator of Thank You, Moon:
Celebrating Nature’s Night Light.
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6 Responses
What an interesting perspective on the moon— I can’t wait to read this with my daughter. I love how all these moon picture books complement each other so well!
Yay, Nora! I hope you and your daughter enjoy learning about all the cool (and surprising!) things that are up there on the Moon. Thank you!
Melissa, thank you for including The Museum on the Moon with all these other beautiful moon books! Congratulations! #ThankYouMoon
Your NASA flight patch vest 😍 xo
What a celestially cool vest Irene and wonderful post too–So many terrific moon books to read, thanks Irene and all here!
Melissa, thank you so much for including The Museum on the Moon with all these beautiful moon books! #ThankYouMoon