The Moon Ring

by Randy DuBurke

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. Playful illustrations make this exciting adventure story one that children will ask for over and over again!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Magic, Fantasy, Family, Animals

36 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun picture book that should be on more diverse kids' book lists! Maxine finds out that her grandmother wasn't joking about the magic light of a blue moon. The story isn’t particularly complex, but it’s buoyed up by the exuberant art. Will be popular with any kids (or adults) who love comics, animation, adventure, or giraffes.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Moon Ring by Randy DuBurke is a story about a girl who finds a magic moon ring that has fallen from the sky. The girl's grandmother explains to her that the second full moon of the month, a blue moon, is out and magic is all around on blue-moon nights. With the moon ring in hand, the girl is able to make wishes that take her on wonderful adventures to Antarctica, Africa, and New York City until she wakes up in her own bed the next morning. Did she dream those adventures as her mother believes or was her grandmother correct in saying the night was full of magic?

I enjoyed reading The Moon Ring and anticipate that my younger students will enjoy listening to it. I found myself wishing that the author had included more detail about each of the adventures, but then I remembered that this was a picture book for young children and their own imaginations could probably fill in some of the lacking detail. By leaving it short and simple, the author keeps the reader's attention and invites the children to add to the story. The illustrations, also by Duburke, are bright, colorful, and engaging.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we move into the hot days of summer, young readers may find themselves wishing for a magic ring to whoosh them to wonderful and exciting places. Maxine and her grandmother are sitting on the porch on a hot summer night looking at the blue moon, which Grandma explains is the second full moon in a month. Grandma tells Maxine that magic often accompanies a blue moon. Before long, Maxine discovers a sparkling, glowing ring that had landed in the yard and as she wishes it was cooler outside, suddenly she finds herself in the Antarctic becoming friends with penguins and seals. But when things become too intense, she wishes again and again and again. The evening is spent in different places around the globe and finally in her own bed. I love the special relationship that Maxine has with her grandmother. Grandma is the only one in the family that truly understands and appreciates "moon magic". This is definitely a book that could spark imaginations and inspire youngsters to create their own "moon magic" artwork or stories.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and listened to The Moon Ring from the library Tumbleweed section. It's a tale of a young girl and her grandma, who tells her about the magic of a blue moon. Later something falls from the sky, and the girl picks up a magic ring. She makes a wish that it was cooler, and ends up with penguins, and lots of cold. She then wishes to be in a warmer place, and ends up in Africa, on top of a giraffe. The lions come out, and she wishes she was in New York City, where she wishes her grandma could see it. The ring flies back into the sky, and she wonders how she will get home. When she wakes up, she is in her own bed, and tells her unbelieving family of her adventures. She and her grandma believe, because outside are the animals that had joined her on her adventures.

A Young sounding girls narrates this book, which makes it very enjoyable.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maxine finds a moon ring outside one night! She is filled with adventures all night because of this moon ring! She goes from Antarctica to Africa and then to New York! When Maxine tells her parents about the adventure they told her it was just a dream, but her grandma knows the truth! This book is filled with adventure and would be a good book to share with younger children.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story for the family to enjoy

Great illustrations and a sweet story. It is a perfect bed time story for you to snuggle up and dream big.

[Karla Lohaus-Fast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story for families full of imagination!

[Gail Barge]

I love the imagination the young girl in this story has. I would use this story of show my students how to use creative writing to tell about what they would wish for if they had a moon ring full of magic. The grandmother in the story is so inspiring to the young girl and I would hope to inspire my students to use their imaginations. I would have students write their own stories full of wishes they would make with a moon ring and then publish a class book of own whole classes wishes!

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attractive illustrations invited me to look more closely to see that yes, the moon WAS shining, and the stars, and the magic moon ring! Realistic illustrations show delighted facial expressions, even the electrical wiring on the side of the house, and a Band-Aid on Maxine's knee. Starting with Grandma's explanation of a blue moon, it dives quickly into a fantasy of 4 wishes. How did Maxine know there would be 4? Why 4?

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inside Cover: In the light of a blue moon -- the second full moon in a month, Grandma explains -- 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? Or is the magic of the moon ring real? Only Maxine and Grandma know for sure.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about the power of imagination and the strength of one little girl's belief. The little girl's grandmother tells her about how the moon can grant wishes in the form of a moon ring during a blue moon. It comes true for the girl, and she goes on an amazing adventure! But...was it really real? Great for ECE and early elementary readers.

[Lizett Murillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a Coretta Scott King (John Steptoe), this book was interesting to see that maxine was going through all these adventures and at the end she went to tell her family and they didn't believe her except her grandmother. This would be a great book to have in my classroom for students to be careful with what they wish for and introduce "teleport".

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was quite random to me. It didn't have much to keep my interest and it wasn't very exciting. I don't know that kids would enjoy this book very much, other than the fact that the moon ring itself is shinier than the rest of the pictures. The plot wasn't very thick.

[Olivia Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a thrilling, exciting read! Adventure packed and full of surprises this book is great for children with huge imaginations and fantasies. A great read-along book and before bed book, this read will be a favorite for all!

[Dayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

the illustrations in this book is really fascinating. They border on illustration/photography.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this adorable book about the magic of the moon and dreams!

[Erika Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short picture book was very enjoyable to read, with an ending that made me smile. Maxine in a young girl, who's grandmother tells her about blue-moon magic, when suddenly a disk falls to the ground in front of Maxine. She believes that this is a magic disk, and sure enough, as soon as she wishes for it to be colder, she ends up in the artic, with seals and penguins. Then she wish to be somewhere else and it takes her, the penguin and the seal to the Safari where she rides around on a giraffe. Next, all four of them travel to New York City before Maxine finally wishes she was with her grandmother. Next thing she knows she is in her bed and it is morning already. She tries to tell her family all about the adventures, and although they think it is all a dream, Maxine and her grandmother know the truth. Although this book is more for fun, excitement, and imagination, I would possibly have it in a classroom for 2nd graders as a book to simply help them with vocabulary. The illustrations do a great job of complementing the text, so that factor would help the reader follow along with the story. This illustrations of this book may also help children understand the animals and environment of a very cold place versus that of a warmer place like the safari.