The Usborne Book of the Moon

The Usborne book of the Moon has been published with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in mind. Aimed at primary aged children, this text (written by Laura Cowan) helps children develop a better understand of the moon. The book starts in a more traditional fiction text way, but then moves quickly into a question and answer style non fiction book. The questions are ones which have clearly been developed after consultation with a target audience of children. The tone of the text is one of the most effective elements of the book. As you read it, you feel like you are part of a 1:1 conversation with an expert who is leading you through the history of the world. The questions flow effortlessly and seem to preempt your own thinking. The knowledge shared to answer the questions is simple to take in and doesn't leave you puzzled. Even as an adult you pick up more information about the moon. I think this text would be a valuable addition to a school resource library and would be great to reference to during the teaching of the solar system. Not only does it answer many questions that could be posed but it also delves into the history of the moon. There are stories and folk tales from different cultures as well as information on the historical figures who have studied and work with the moon - from Galileo to Neil Armstrong. The book concludes with a glimpse of what scientists would like to plan for in the future of the moon, including a moon based lunar colony. Once again, Usborne have produced a nonfiction text that is appealing and informative to younger readers. I will be recommending this to primary science coordinators as a very useful resource text. 32 pages / Ages 6+ / Reviewed by Kyle Matravers, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+

A full moon, framed by the silhouettes of trees, shines out from the cover of this book, inviting the reader to pick it up and discover more. From the endpapers showing the phases of the moon to speculation about a lunar colony, it contains a wealth of information. Mankind has always been fascinated by the moon, and we discover more about these beliefs through the book's pages with ancient peoples making up legends about its appearance and using its cycle as a calendar. Chinese astronomers were the first to realise that eclipses could be predicted by studying the moon. Others in Ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle East and India all had ideas that they wanted to prove and invented instruments such as astrolabes to help, And with the advent of telescopes, many of their theories were proved to be correct. The space race and moon landings are also covered, using a variety of styles from cartoon strip to bold single illustrations. The Usborne Book of the Moon is aimed at children in Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2 but there is something here for everyone, with clear concise language, interesting details in the illustrations and unusual facts. This is a title I would certainly recommend including in any display or booklist celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landings. 32 pages / Ages 6+ / Reviewed by Jayne Gould, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 7+