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Moonday
What do you do when the moon lowers itself into your backyard?
When mornings are replaced by perpetual night,
and people sigh-sleep in their eyes.
What do you do when the tide comes in,
and all the neighborhood dogs won't stop howling?
You take the moon for a ride.
Adam Rex creates a fantastic tale that is both imaginative and beautiful; one that blurs the line between dreams and reality.
When mornings are replaced by perpetual night,
and people sigh-sleep in their eyes.
What do you do when the tide comes in,
and all the neighborhood dogs won't stop howling?
You take the moon for a ride.
Adam Rex creates a fantastic tale that is both imaginative and beautiful; one that blurs the line between dreams and reality.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Adam Rex
99 books783 followersAdam Rex grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, the middle of three children. He was neither the smart one (older brother) or the cute one (younger sister), but he was the one who could draw. He took a lot of art classes as a kid, trying to learn to draw better, and started painting when he was 11. And later in life he was drawn down to Tucson in order to hone his skills, get a BFA from the University of Arizona, and meet his physicist wife Marie (who is both the smart and cute one).
Adam is nearsighted, bad at all sports, learning to play the theremin, and usually in need of a shave. He can carry a tune, if you don't mind the tune getting dropped and stepped on occasionally. He never remembers anyone's name until he's heard it at least three times. He likes animals, spacemen, Mexican food, Ethiopian food, monsters, puppets, comic books, 19th century art, skeletons, bugs, and robots.
Garlic and crosses are useless against Adam. Sunlight has been shown to be at least moderately effective. A silver bullet does the trick. Pretty much any bullet, really.
Adam is nearsighted, bad at all sports, learning to play the theremin, and usually in need of a shave. He can carry a tune, if you don't mind the tune getting dropped and stepped on occasionally. He never remembers anyone's name until he's heard it at least three times. He likes animals, spacemen, Mexican food, Ethiopian food, monsters, puppets, comic books, 19th century art, skeletons, bugs, and robots.
Garlic and crosses are useless against Adam. Sunlight has been shown to be at least moderately effective. A silver bullet does the trick. Pretty much any bullet, really.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
May 22, 2021
This is part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf. Yay, Reviewers list is fixed, as far as I can tell. Still waiting for the Readers list to be fixed, though.
Continuing my romp through just some of the fabulous Rex books.
***
8 August, 2019
Everyone has moon displays for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and for the theme of this year's summer reading programs. So I picked it up again. Still love it.
Also I worked out that what I only very dimly remember is (probably) the landing, not the moonwalk. It was a big deal about the moon on TV in the afternoon is all I recall, and I am by no means confident that I really remember it, rather than having created a memory over the years. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard certain momentous news events, but comparisons of memories immediately after such events and a year or more later show that most of us are far off in our accounts, so I remain skeptical about my accuracy in every regard.
You know what I do remember vividly and confidently from that same year? Dr Seuss books (One Fish, Two Fish and Fox in Socks), the apartment building fire somewhere close enough to walk to, two of my Christmas presents (a Snoopy-shaped pillow with my name on it and a little flying saucer toy with a purple alien inside), practicing writing my name correctly on the floor of my mother's bedroom while listening to a tape that was a letter from my father who was in Viet Nam [apparently my preschool teacher had taught me an incorrect spelling], some kind of Pop Tart-like breakfast food shaped like an elephant in chocolate (my favorite) or a lion in peanut butter (my brother's favorite), breaking a tooth on same, Space Food Sticks, and Tang.
Feel free to share what you remember from 1969, if you do, or from the year you were four, if you don't, or about the moon.
***
16 May, 2014
Now everyone is going to be wanting one! I love the idea of a small planatoid in my backyard. Sure, there are drawbacks, but apparently it's possible to get the gravity just right, so that one can walk around upside down like the Little Prince.
Gorgeous story with a clever kid.
Library copy
Continuing my romp through just some of the fabulous Rex books.
***
8 August, 2019
Everyone has moon displays for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and for the theme of this year's summer reading programs. So I picked it up again. Still love it.
Also I worked out that what I only very dimly remember is (probably) the landing, not the moonwalk. It was a big deal about the moon on TV in the afternoon is all I recall, and I am by no means confident that I really remember it, rather than having created a memory over the years. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard certain momentous news events, but comparisons of memories immediately after such events and a year or more later show that most of us are far off in our accounts, so I remain skeptical about my accuracy in every regard.
You know what I do remember vividly and confidently from that same year? Dr Seuss books (One Fish, Two Fish and Fox in Socks), the apartment building fire somewhere close enough to walk to, two of my Christmas presents (a Snoopy-shaped pillow with my name on it and a little flying saucer toy with a purple alien inside), practicing writing my name correctly on the floor of my mother's bedroom while listening to a tape that was a letter from my father who was in Viet Nam [apparently my preschool teacher had taught me an incorrect spelling], some kind of Pop Tart-like breakfast food shaped like an elephant in chocolate (my favorite) or a lion in peanut butter (my brother's favorite), breaking a tooth on same, Space Food Sticks, and Tang.
Feel free to share what you remember from 1969, if you do, or from the year you were four, if you don't, or about the moon.
***
16 May, 2014
Now everyone is going to be wanting one! I love the idea of a small planatoid in my backyard. Sure, there are drawbacks, but apparently it's possible to get the gravity just right, so that one can walk around upside down like the Little Prince.
Gorgeous story with a clever kid.
Library copy
October 10, 2013
This book is so light, light in a lovely, slow, dancing way. It is quiet like snow falling and branches creaking and little taps of chalk on chalkboard. It's like a nice song playing on a radio through a window down the street.
But the specific things I appreciate are these:
1. Lines with rhythm and a little internal rhyme in places, but not rhyming text: "Hushed, they shuffled through slush and dozed off at stoplights."
2. A mom who is up for the adventure but practical at the same time: "Okay. Zip up your coat."
3. Some of the best painting I've seen Adam Rex do, and I'm a fan. Architecture, faces, cars - very glowing and layered, and in fact now that I'm looking at it, not painting, or not all painting. Rough pastels or colored pencil is involved. Gives everything a grainy, nighttime texture.
In a year of marvelous picture books, this is a treasure.
But the specific things I appreciate are these:
1. Lines with rhythm and a little internal rhyme in places, but not rhyming text: "Hushed, they shuffled through slush and dozed off at stoplights."
2. A mom who is up for the adventure but practical at the same time: "Okay. Zip up your coat."
3. Some of the best painting I've seen Adam Rex do, and I'm a fan. Architecture, faces, cars - very glowing and layered, and in fact now that I'm looking at it, not painting, or not all painting. Rough pastels or colored pencil is involved. Gives everything a grainy, nighttime texture.
In a year of marvelous picture books, this is a treasure.
October 13, 2013
What is supposed to be an imaginative and beautiful take on a child's day with the moon, comes off as confusing, by trying to do too much in its short space. When the moon comes down from the sky it causes mayhem to the world's sleep cycle, tides, and dogs. The author mentions how important the moon is, but barely gets across how much it would be affected, in fact it makes light of what would happen. Certainly, the moon is depicted with great beauty, but even that is given little attention.
As a child's tale, disbelief could be suspended as to why the moon is there, but the presence of the child's parents, who question neither its appearance, nor panic at what would certainly mean the end of the world, only emphasizes its illogical aspects.
If the story focused on one or two points, this could have been a triumph, but the story of the child has no clear point, the information on the moon is too briefly addressed, and the moon itself is not given enough time to truly shine.
As a child's tale, disbelief could be suspended as to why the moon is there, but the presence of the child's parents, who question neither its appearance, nor panic at what would certainly mean the end of the world, only emphasizes its illogical aspects.
If the story focused on one or two points, this could have been a triumph, but the story of the child has no clear point, the information on the moon is too briefly addressed, and the moon itself is not given enough time to truly shine.
Read
September 18, 2013Moonday by Adam Rex is my nominee for the 2014 Caldecott winner. I chose this particular book because the drawings were so colorful and electric that it draws in your attention so fiercely. When the little girl discovers that the moon has lowered into her very own backyard, the illuminus moon just shines right out of the book. The reflections from the bright moon onto the people are outstandingly drawn and really gives the reader a feel for how bright the moon really is. This illuminating effect that the illustrator/author gave the book was the reason I think it will win the next Caldecott award. It really is mezmorizing to look at, almost as if the real moon was on the page!
March 23, 2018
I can appreciate the child's fascination with the moon. I vividly recall observing the moon through the car window and having the sensation that it was following me home. That is the crux of this story, but it leaps to hyperbole in the same way the story about what would happen if it were Christmas every day. The story trounces on the romance a child has with the moon. Didn't like the illustrations either.
June 7, 2014
A nice whimsical story about the moon following a girl home. The star of this story is the beautiful artwork, the moon is gleaming out of the page, gorgeous. A great bedtime story. Keep an eye out for a cameo from the author as the bespectacled father.
February 26, 2019
Beautiful illustrated picture book about the full moon. I am using this book for my family program.
March 11, 2025
Reminded me of books I read as a child, like Tuesday and June 29, 1999.
February 18, 2026
A dreamy story about what happens when the Moon follows a family home. A Moonday is a neverending night that has the whole town yawning while collecting the tides in their backyard. The realistically painted illustrations contribute to the magical realism feel of the story and its appropriately surreal conclusion.
March 28, 2014
Moonday is an imaginative, beautifully illustrated book about a little girl who wakes up to find the moon has descended into her backyard. Morning never comes, and everyone at school and throughout the town is sleepy and drowsy as they go about their day in darkness. Meanwhile, the main character and her parents try to cover the moon with tablecloths before they decide to go for a drive, where they can then see the moon from afar, on top of their hill.
This book is a picture book, as it contains mostly pictures with a few lines of text on each page. It’s aimed at young children, likely for K-2, and my first thought while reading it was that it’d be a fun stepping stone to a writer’s workshop connection. Since the book deals with an imaginative thought – what would happen if the moon descended into your backyard? – the story covers the consequences of this, including the tides rushing into the backyard, and many dogs running over to howl at the moon. In a classroom setting, a teacher could use a creative writing prompt similar to this, such as: what would happen if the sun descended into your backyard instead of the moon? What would happen? The teacher could also point out the subtle details in the story, as well; for example, the little girl is in the car with her family at both the beginning and the end of the story, and ends up being tucked into bed. The class could discuss how the whole story might have been a dream, and could talk about how when we ride in a car at night, the moon seems to follow us as we drive. This could tie in some science concepts, as well, if studying the moon or the planets, and can touch on misconceptions about the moon (such as the thought that it “follows” you as you drive in a car).
This book is a picture book, as it contains mostly pictures with a few lines of text on each page. It’s aimed at young children, likely for K-2, and my first thought while reading it was that it’d be a fun stepping stone to a writer’s workshop connection. Since the book deals with an imaginative thought – what would happen if the moon descended into your backyard? – the story covers the consequences of this, including the tides rushing into the backyard, and many dogs running over to howl at the moon. In a classroom setting, a teacher could use a creative writing prompt similar to this, such as: what would happen if the sun descended into your backyard instead of the moon? What would happen? The teacher could also point out the subtle details in the story, as well; for example, the little girl is in the car with her family at both the beginning and the end of the story, and ends up being tucked into bed. The class could discuss how the whole story might have been a dream, and could talk about how when we ride in a car at night, the moon seems to follow us as we drive. This could tie in some science concepts, as well, if studying the moon or the planets, and can touch on misconceptions about the moon (such as the thought that it “follows” you as you drive in a car).
August 14, 2013
When the moon decides to hover in an admiring child's backyard, at first it seems rather cool to have the moon so close at hand. But the rest of the town, even the teacher and students, seem tired and sleepy. It even attracts the attention of howling dogs and the tides. Eventually, the youngster decides that too much of a good thing might not be desirable, and suggests taking the moon for a drive to the beach. After telling it to say there, the family returns home to a good night's sleep--presumably without the moon's glow keeping them awake. This book blends fantasy and reality in an interesting way, and the illustrations of the moon are lovely.
November 7, 2016
Creative premise but the execution lacks focus. The unquestioning zombie-like people in the story, including the parents and the teacher, overtake the book, rather than concentrating on the boy's wondrous adventure with the visiting moon. For a picture book, there is way too much attention given to adults.
September 19, 2013
An interesting departure for Adam Rex--this is a more dreamy, luminous story and style than some of his previous, more madcap work.
The page depicting the lullaby-crooning garage band especially tickled me.
The page depicting the lullaby-crooning garage band especially tickled me.
September 15, 2013
Another great picture book from Mr. Rex. Not as silly as his past works, but he did force us to have the conversation with our 4th grader of how moon could be a noun and a verb. The art is perfect and the story is magic.
November 17, 2013
A unique, lovely story in which the moon follows a girl home and stays in her backyard. While it is fun for her to walk all around the moon, the moon also keeps the next day from arriving. Very nice paintings.
September 17, 2013
Quirky with gorgeous, photo realistic illustrations. If you've ever rode in the backseat of a car and watched the moon "chase" you, you will find a lot to like in this imaginative story.
June 14, 2021
Pretty illustrations, weird story
February 19, 2019
I have loved Adam Rex since I stumbled upon Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich on display in a local bookshop years ago. That was before I even had a kid to rationalize the purchase, but I got it anyway. It is a perfect storm of morbid humor and expressive illustration, and it still makes me laugh out loud in some places. Rex is one of the rare author-illustrators whose prose and art are *both* remarkable.
Moonday is a simpler, quieter story. But as with FMAS, Rex once again pairs a poetic sensibility with deft, detail-rich art. What happens when the moon follows a family home and hangs out in their backyard? Well, morning might not come. Yawns might become extra contagious. The tide might come in around the house.
My little guy loves the silly idea of walking around and around on the backyard-bound moon. I like the rhythmic, sleepy language. A win for both of us.
Moonday is a simpler, quieter story. But as with FMAS, Rex once again pairs a poetic sensibility with deft, detail-rich art. What happens when the moon follows a family home and hangs out in their backyard? Well, morning might not come. Yawns might become extra contagious. The tide might come in around the house.
My little guy loves the silly idea of walking around and around on the backyard-bound moon. I like the rhythmic, sleepy language. A win for both of us.
February 12, 2019
A little boy watches the moon out of his car window and that night the moon comes down to Earth and hangs low in the boy's backyard. They try to get rid of it but it doesn't budge and engulfs the town in perpetual night. When the whole town just walks around sleepy, they decide that the moon must go back up in the sky. In the end, they finally manage to get it back up there.
Reminds me of those quiet moonlit nights of my childhood that I would spend watching the moon follow us as we drove along in our car. There's a particular instance that comes to mind. I think it was the day we bought this musical alarm clock from a mom and pop toy store. We went there a few times that month because they had just opened and were having a sale.
Reminds me of those quiet moonlit nights of my childhood that I would spend watching the moon follow us as we drove along in our car. There's a particular instance that comes to mind. I think it was the day we bought this musical alarm clock from a mom and pop toy store. We went there a few times that month because they had just opened and were having a sale.
February 25, 2026
This book was about how the moon landed in a families backyard and would not go back into the sky. Because of this the sun does not come out during the day, which makes it dark everywhere. Students, and even teachers, cannot focus at school because everyone is so tired. People are moving slowly around and everyone just wants to sleep, because it is still dark out. The moon finally goes back into the sky and on the last page of the book it shows the town bright from the sun! This is a great book to show how important our moon and sun are and how we should be thankful for the light they both give.
June 25, 2017
This book is about the moon and the colors of pages are dark because it is told at night with the moon shining. The fantasy part is when the moon actually sits just over the child's backyard almost touching the ground, the parents cover the moon, and the child stands on the moon. Shows a time when school is in but the darkness outside and the moon's presence is still there. Maybe the read aloud would be a time to question real vs. fantasy and what to believe and not to believe.
November 18, 2020
What do you do when the moon lowers itself into your backyard?
When mornings are replaced by perpetual night,
and people sigh-sleep in their eyes.
What do you do when the tide comes in,
and all the neighborhood dogs won't stop howling?
You take the moon for a ride.
Adam Rex creates a fantastic tale that is both imaginative and beautiful; one that blurs the line between dreams and reality
When mornings are replaced by perpetual night,
and people sigh-sleep in their eyes.
What do you do when the tide comes in,
and all the neighborhood dogs won't stop howling?
You take the moon for a ride.
Adam Rex creates a fantastic tale that is both imaginative and beautiful; one that blurs the line between dreams and reality
March 9, 2025
Llegué a Moonday después de disfrutar "On account of the gum" y, aunque me resulta menos redondo, me fascina el talento de Adam Rex. Tanto el estilo como el tono son muy distintos aquí; este es más melancólico, más surrealista, más ambiguo; más adulto, si me apuras. Consigue una atmósfera onírica nostálgica muy guay, pero quizá se queda corto en la ejecución de su idea. Creo que le habría sentado muy bien tener más páginas.
October 4, 2017
I loved this book, although the illustration style was mixed for me: I loved some of the illustrations, especially the way the moon was depicted; but the way the people were shown was a mixed bag (in my opinion.)
However, I LOVED the story and the sweet strangeness of it, and the perfectness of it for a nighttime story! Ergo the five stars!
However, I LOVED the story and the sweet strangeness of it, and the perfectness of it for a nighttime story! Ergo the five stars!
September 16, 2018
“Moonday” by Adam Rex had had a creative premise – the moon on a family’s backyard – although I would have to say that I was not as invested in the text of this storybook. But overall, the combination of the art and plot was satisfactory and would make a good story to read aloud to children.
October 5, 2022
An adorable story about a child discovering that the moon has decided to land in their backyard along with everything that comes with the moon such as tides and dogs staring over their fence to see it. With the moon in their backyard, the whole town is sleepy until the child finds a way to bring the moon back into the sky. Very imaginative!
January 6, 2018
I loved this little surreal story. When the moon turns up in our protag's backyard, what happens next? The artwork was lovely, too. This is a perfect bedtime story, and just the thing for my first read of 2018!
January 5, 2019
I love that this picture book encourages abstract thinking and playfulness as the moon is hanging out in this family's backyard and causing tidal waves in their yard and darkness all around the town. The family has to figure out how to get the moon back in the sky.
June 24, 2019
Reading a bunch of moon picture books in advance of the Lunar Landing anniversary in July, but this one just did not click with me. I thought the story was completely nonsensical. Maybe that would be charming for some readers, but I wasn't enchanted.
November 19, 2025
A young girl, on the way home, notices the moon is following her...and it ends up in her backyard! The whole town is affected; until the little girl realizes they must put the moon back!
A cute fantasy picture book with beautiful illustrations.
A cute fantasy picture book with beautiful illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews