Note:
This is part of National Geographic's Jump Into Science™ series.

"Why does the moon seem to change? What is it made of?
Why does it travel through the sky? Join us as we unlock some
of the secrets of our moon!"

So begins this entertaining and informative introduction to the moon. A "moonstruck cat and his firefly pal" appear throughout the text, helping illustrate the factual information presented.

Beginning with the "strange beliefs about the moon" that people once had, Tomecek explains how Galileo used a telescope to view the moon close-up. He then discusses how moon craters were formed.

Readers will also learn why, even though the moon seems to be about the same size as the sun, that it is actually much smaller than our nearest star. An orbit is explained as are the phases of the moon.

Finally, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the first humans to walk on the moon, make an appearance.

The text, written in kid-friendly language, is clear and succinct. Guida does a superb job of illustrating the text with her vibrant artwork, done in pen-and-ink and watercolors.

The book ends with a clever experiment for making model craters on a lunar landscape.

Classroom Use: We took the book into a first-grade classroom for science hour. We read the book aloud, and as expected, it was hugely popular. We also completed the crater experiment which illustrated that the larger the meteorite, the larger the crater created.

An excellent starting point for students wishing to learn about the moon.

Highly recommended. District-wide purchase encouraged.

Reviewed by the teachers at Education Oasis
©2005 Education Oasis  http://www.educationoasis.com