The Moon Book

by Gail Gibbons

A kid-friendly introduction to the biggest, brightest light in our night sky. 

Shining light on all kinds of fascinating facts about our moon, this simple, introductory book includes information on how the moon affects the oceans' tides, why the same side of the moon always faces earth, why we have eclipses, and more.

Using her signature combination of colorful, clear illustrations and accessible text, Gail Gibbons reinforces important vocabulary with simple explanations, perfect for budding astronomers. Legends about the moon, trivia, and facts about the moon landing are also included.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Space, Childrens, Nature, Astronomy

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the moon, always have, so when I saw that this in my library's catalog I was thrilled. I've read this author before as she writes a lot of informational books for kids, so I looked her up to see what others books she has and found this. She writes a lot of interesting topics that kids need to learn.

The author dedicated this book to astronauts who perished in a fire during a launching test flight in 1967 so that gave it a serious, emotional aspect and made me think about the people who dedicate their lives to astronomy.

The illustrations are really simple and old-school. You can tell the book's age by the style of illustrations. I don't care for this style because it looks so old and the whole time I kept wishing they would do a new edition with modern style illustrations. I thought it would have a lineup of all of the phases in order, but it didn't and I found that really lacking and incomplete. I wanted to see each gradual change, not just the major ones.

Also, I was confused on some of the material. Like how the moon's orbit is usually tilted compared to Earth's orbit around the sun. I didn't understand how/why they were being compared or when moon isn't tilted vs when it is. I really didn't understand how the moon's gravity affects the ocean and causes tides. I don't think it should have been mentioned if it wasn't going to be explained. Like what specifically about the moon causes high tide and what causes low tide.

I liked the solar eclipse paper project. I'm gonna try that next solar eclipse. I really liked the moon milestones and legends and stories and facts at end. The illustrations had arrows starting from the left side of the pages, pointing to the right, showing which direction the sun's light was coming from and that was so helpful to understand what I was looking at.

I enjoyed this because I've always been interested in the moon and this explained a lot. I now know so much more about it and


This has a lot of information to offer.
The moon is the biggest and brightest in the night sky, brighter than all the stars and planets which appear like small points of light. Earth has one moon but some plants have many. A star burns gases that give off heat and light. The sun is a star. A planet reflects sunlight and revolves around the sun. I did not know that was the definition of a planet.

The moon appears so bright because it's close to the earth compared to the stars and planets which are far away. It's about 238,9000 miles away, which is so unimaginably long I can't believe it's considered close!

The moon is about 2,000 mi. in diameter and about 6,800 mi. around.
Earth is about 8,000 mi. in diameter and 25,000 miles around.

The moon doesn't make its own light; it's bright because it reflects the sun's light. It's about 1/4 the size of Earth. It's rock and dust. There's no air or life.
Most astronomers and scientists think it formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

An orbit is the path of one object around another.

Ancient people thought the moon was a powerful god or goddess. The Romans called their moon goddess Diana. In Greece, the moon goddess was called Selene and she rode a silver chariot in the sky. Some American Indians believed the moon and sun were brother and sister gods.

There were stories and legends told about the shapes and shadows on the moon's surface. Some said the moon showed a man's face, the "man in the moon" who was imprisoned there for stealing. Others said moon demons lived there.

A satellite is an object orbiting around a larger one. The moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It takes about a month for it to travel around Earth. It makes one complete rotation for each complete trip around Earth. So the same side of the moon always faces Earth. The moon doesn't change shape; there are just different phases due to different amount of light being reflected on the moon. The amount of light depends on the positions of Earth, moon and sun.

A new moon is when the moon is almost directly between the sun and Earth. It looks dark. There is no reflected light. In a few days a bit of the sunlit side shows and it forms a crescent. The moon is WAXING when the lit surface we see is getting bigger. (The pic showed the crescent on the right side of the moon). When the moon is a quarter of its way around Earth, it's in its first-quarter phase. It's half-lit. Sometimes called a half-moon.

When the moon is waxing between a first-quarter and a full moon, it's called a gibbous. About 2 weeks after the new moon phrase, we can see the entire face of the moon and it's called a full moon. When the moon is waning between a full moon and a last-quarter moon, it is a gibbous moon again. The moon is WANING when the lit surface we see is getting smaller. (The pic showed the lit side on the left side of the moon). When the moon is three-quarters of the way around Earth, it's in the last-quarter phase. We see it half-lit. It's a last-quarter moon, sometimes called half-moon. Then we see a crescent again (on the left side). Then it's back to a new moon. It takes about one month to go through all the phases. People used to know the time of the month by watching the moon's phases.

The moon's orbit is usually tilted slightly compared to Earth's orbit around sun, so the moon can't line up exactly between sun and Earth. When the moon's orbit isn't tilted, the moon lines up exactly, and a solar eclipse occurs. The moon's shadow falls on Earth.

When the sun, Earth and moon line up exactly, a lunar eclipse occurs. The moon's orbit isn't tilted. (The moon isn't between Earth&Sun). Earth blocks sunlight that would fall on moon &it has a reddish glow. (not sure why it's red). Lunar comes from Latin "Luna" for moon.

Gravity, the moon's pull, is strong enough to cause tides. The moon takes about 25 hours to return to same place in sky it was the night before, so high tide &low tide about every 13 hours. Didn't really get that.

Moon has craters, mountains and valleys. Dark patches are called plains or seas. There aren't as many dark areas on far side of moon.

Moon Milestones:
The U.S. took the first pictures of the moon in 1850s.

Moon Legends and Stories:
Egyptians believed the moon was god Osiris, who died and came back to life each month.
Ancient Chinese believed goddess Heng O lived forever on the moon. They eat mooncakes in her honor every year at mid-Autumn moon festival.
Ancient Vikings believed dark shapes on moon were a girl and boy kidnapped while getting bucket of water.
Some legends say full moons can change people into werewolves. Cute graphic of fanged man with full moon.
Some American Indians believed it wasn't good to hunt when the points of a crescent moon were upward. (Light on the left side of moon).
Some people thought moon was cheese because of the shapes and shadows.

More Moon Facts:
In Scotland, France, and England, ancient stone circles have been found that line viewer up with rising and setting positions of moon.
The largest crater is 183 mi. long.
The moon travels about 2,200 mi. per hr.
When there are 2 full moons in 1 month, the second is called a "blue moon." This happens about every 2 to 2.5 years.
The full moon closest to Sep. 21 is called "harvest moon."
On many clear days we can see the moon in the daylight sky.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture science book for young learners.

[Natalie Haldeman]

Title: The Moon Book
Author: Gail Gibbons
Genre: Photographic Essay
Theme(s): Moon, Astronomy
Opening line/sentence: As the sun sets at the end of each day, the sky becomes darker and darker.
Brief Book Summary: This book gives a lot of information about the moon and about space. It goes through the different phases of the moon as well as the different astronomers who studied the moon. It also talks about the different eclipses that the moon goes through.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: This fully illustrated introductory book offers young children information about the moon: its orbit and phases, its place in solar and lunar eclipses, its effect on Earth's oceans, moon exploration, and the legends the moon has inspired in various cultures. Written clearly yet without too much detail, the text moves along quickly. The pictures and diagrams deserve study, as they help readers visualize such concepts as how the moon moves in relation to the earth and the sun and why it seems to change shape. Gibbons uses a spacious format to vary page layout, presenting each facet of the moon's story with a large illustration or a series of smaller ones. Her colorful pictures of people observing the moon seem all the more brilliant against backgrounds of midnight blue. A fine resource for school and public library collections.(CLCD)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: (3) K-3 series. Gibbons presents a great deal of information in a deceptively simple format by combining inviting illustrations with clear writing. The concise text covers lunar phases, eclipses, tides, and a brief history of lunar exploration. The illustrations offer effective and accessible depictions of the phases of the moon and eclipse geometry. (Hornbook)
Response to Two Professional Reviews: It is interesting how they both talk about how this books is a photographic essay like I mentioned. They explain how there is so much information that Gail Gibbons presents to the reader, but in a simple format that makes it easy for the reader to read and understand. The first review talks about a lot of good points that this book provides to the reader such as the moon phases, and the effect on the earth's oceans, etc.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Gail Gibbons provides a lot of diagrams for the reader, which makes it easy for the reader to understand when she is talking about stuff that may be complicated. I really like how Gibbons explains in deathly about each moon phase as well as gives a picture of what that phase looks like at that particular stage.
Consideration of Instructional Application: After reading this book it would be good to talk with the students more about space. I would have each student pic a moon phase that they are interested in from the book and draw a picture of that phase as well as a small description of what occurs during that moon phase.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another good nonfiction book by Gail Gibbons. The colorful illustrations will help make the scientific information more available to young learners. I may try it in my First grade classroom. It seems like it would be very effective for students about 8 to 10 years old.

[Margo Broderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by the moon and our solar system-perhaps why this was a wow book in my eyes. While there are so many fun activities to do with students when learning about the moon, an informational text is a great way to introduce the topic as well as to refer back to when engaging students in those activities.

Gail Gibbons does a great job drawing her readers in with colorful illustrations and easy to follow text. This book would be great for children in grades 3-5 who are learning about the moon, since it is filled with so much information and focused on many different aspects of the moon and solar system. For instance, there is a very informative part of the book on moon phases. A lot of students and even adults don't know how the moon changes shape and how often this occurs, however Gail does a great job representing what is happening and how the moon goes through its phases.

Introducing students to this book while also using activities to show moon phases would be very beneficial for student understanding of moon phases. There is also a lot of scientific vocabulary that is used and defined throughout. When learning about the solar system, students who are researching the moon would have no problem finding a plethora of information about the moon to help with their research. The book introduces culture and ancient moon theories among those cultures- this could be used to introduce topics in social studies and how different cultures understand our solar system and the moon, which I found to be very cool!

[Madison Fender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
This book is about Earth's moon and gives many facts about the moon that is interesting for students to learn. It speaks of the different moon phases, the length it takes the moon to complete its rotation, and so much more. The book is full of information that will teach the children more about the moon.

Evaluation:
I liked this book for teaching the students about the moon. I used part of this book to teach my moon phase lesson and the students loved being able to see the different moon phases in the book and learned more about it.

Teaching Point:
I think that if you used this book when you are learning about space and the moon the students could use it to go deeper into the content. If you wanted to you could read the section that you are talking about in class to the students or you could just read the book over a few days. I did this same thing with my fourth grade class and they seemed to have loved the whole book.

[Melissa Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this book to help teach a lesson about the moon and other things in space. It was an easy book to use. It gave me many ideas for activities and things to do for my lesson. Some of the parts of the book are not necessary, so while reading aloud I had to leave them out to speed up time. It is an older book, so the illustrations are a little out of date, but overall it is a great book. Also, it gives great descriptions, illustrations and models of each of the moon phases.

[Feras Nasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

The takeaway of this book is basic to more advanced astronomical and some legendary information with respect to our moon. For instance, this book gives the distance between the moon and earth and elaborates on the phases of the moon.

I can use this book to ask my students to observe one of the phases of the moon. They can opt for any phase and describe, take pictures of, and/or video record the specific phase.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good informational book about the moon. There were tons of beneficial facts about the moon. I liked how the book gave several definitions to break down the information and make it more clear for the reader. I also liked the diagrams that were in the book. I thought they were helpful.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't my favorite for describing moon phases, but it does a nice job adding in other information, like cultural moon history, eclipses, and tides. Like many of Gibbons' books, it's an awkward mix of childish and deep info.

[Nancy Vu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book can be used to show us how the moon effects earth and our lives. It can activate curiosity to learn more about the moon. Grades 1-3.

[Alana Arlequin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book to integrate science and literature. It tells about the moon and the relationship between the moon, the sun, and the earth.

[DeNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

The target audience for this is a bit older than Faces of the Moon, but still had great information for kids.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my Kiddo was young, and it became apparent that she was probably not going to grow up and become a scientist, science fair time was a bit stressful in my house. When she was in second grade, we used this book to make an informative project about the moon. It obviously wasn't a groundbreaking project, but we both learned a lot. And this book gives a lot of information about the moon: what it is, how it may have come into existence, its orbit, its phases, the difference between a solar and lunar eclipse, how its gravitational pull affects the ocean's tides, and of course, the lunar landings. The writing is clear and simple, and the text, which runs across the bottom of the page, is complimented and enhanced with simple, full-color illustrations that take up most of the page. Back matter includes Moon Milestones, a timeline of moon-related information, and Moon Legends and Stories, most of which will be very familiar to young readers, and finally More Moon Facts, interesting tidbits, such as what a blue and harvest moon are. I am very happy to see that this book has been reissued in an updated and revised edition in time for 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. It will be a welcome addition to any home or classroom library.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

With her colorful, detailed, and visually appealing illustrations and her easy-to-understand text, Gail Gibbons provides an engaging introduction to the moon in this updated book. In addition to offering some background about how humans have regarded the moon, the book covers the phases of Earth's satellite, discusses the moon's impact on tides, lunar eclipses, and the first lunar landing. Back matter includes Moon Milestones, Moon Legends and Stories, and More Moon Facts, snippets that provide a little something of interest for almost everyone. I've said it before, and will repeat myself here: Gail Gibbons' books are absolutely essential for elementary science classroom libraries, and they make good entry points to science topics for older readers as well because of their format and clear explanations.

[Sandie Nease · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my space loving 7 year-old this is a fantastic, and informative book that gives facts about the moon in an educational/fun way. I give it four stars for the value it offers to educating children on the moon. It does skim the topic of how ancient and some current cultures revere the moon, but I implore any educator or parent to go down the rabbit hole on how it is perceived by those people. This offers a generalized view that when left alone can lead to assumptions. I’m all about exploring and expanding understanding on topics like this.

The illustrations is a big part of why I can’t give it five stars. It leaves a lot to be desired, but I guess it’s also telling of the aesthetic of books like this for that time. If you are a sucker for lovely illustrations this book my make your eye twitch.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1997 this book became a staple in school libraries. Now it's back in a new and updated edition. Gail Gibbons knows how to write good nonfiction. Her writing is clear, crisp, and informative. She manages to cogently explain important science concepts while never talking down to her reader. Add that to her exceptional, colorful, kid-friendly illustrations and you have a sure winner. Here readers learn about the moon--its size, distance from earth, and probable formation. Stories about the moon from various cultures are briefly examined. There's information here about orbits, phases, tides, and more. Plenty of diagrams illustrate key points. If you have the older version now's the time to upgrade.

[A Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the local library, along with others, for my moon lesson plan. This book does provide readers with a good amount of information, but I prefer "Moon! Earth's Best Friend" by Stacy McAnulty. There is a lot of text in the Gail Gibbons book. Unlike other books about the moon, this one does mention ancient people and goddesses Diana and Artemis. In comparison to the book by Stacy McAnulty, this book does talk more about space exploration and the astronauts that visited long ago. The illustrations are not my favorite and they almost exclusively feature white people, unfortunately.

[Terra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Moon Book is a great book to introduce the topic of the moon to children. This book is filled with illustrations, vocabulary, and facts about the moon. Gail Gibbons did an amazing job incorporating the illustrations with the facts about the moon. In this book, children will learn that the moon only faces one way towards Earth, how the moon affects the oceans and more. I learned many things that I did not know about the moon before reading this book, especially about how tidal waves and the moon are connected.

[Kathryn Grivich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, informational, concise

This book is a Non-fiction picture book about the moon. It includes information on how close the moon is, what the function of the moon is, the historical legends of the moon and it even talks about the phases.

Based on the quality of this book I would definitely use this book in the classroom. It gives the very basic information you need to know about the moon and explains it in a way that is easy to understand. It also has illustrations that fit each page and make it fun for the reader to engage as well.

[Janae' Hosley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In beautiful, spacious layouts, children learn about lunar phases, eclipses, lunar exploration, and the moon's effect on the earth. Visualize the movement of the moon in relation to the earth and sun, and moon exploration is explained simply, without too much overwhelming detail. Gibbons' direct style makes this book an excellent teaching tool for a first look at the moon, the earth's natural satellite.

[Cassidy Major · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this informational text! It's HARD to teach phases of the moon, but having a piece of literature to turn to makes it that much easier. I love the illustrations and explanations of this book, and the fact that it tackles such a unique concept is perfect! This book would be great for, honestly, any age learning about this topic, but considering the level of the science standard, I'd save it for (maybe first) 2-5 grade!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have the new and updated book-I wonder if the original has a section on evolution? It defiantly felt out of place in the middle of the book and not necessary to explaining our moon. WOW look at how the moon and Sun work so well with earth and the life it sustains here! I mean nature just screams CREATION it was no accident. I would have rated the book higher if it would have left out those 2 pages.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has a few lines that don't line up with Biblical truth: "...the moon is 4.51 billion years old, just slightly younger than Earth" and "the oldest identified moon crater is about 2 billion years old." We know from the Bible that God created the moon on day 4 and that man was created on day 6, which was 6000-12,000 years ago. But it's easy enough to explain those truths to children. Otherwise it's a great picture book about our moon!

[Jackie Spell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time we have read this book this year in my 2nd grade classroom. We read it the first time as a part of an author study and today as part of our Science unit. The students were very interested and engaged. They wrote and drew about at least one thing they learned from the boom in their Science Journal and shared with their partners. I saw lots of different journal entries as I circulated the room. The part about gods and goddesses was confusing for them.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are better books. Try Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space.

This looks like an old-fashioned elementary science text book.

[Madeline Volkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very good book to help students learn about space. I chose this book for the Children's Resource Collection, as my science book. It was very informational without being too overwhelming for children. I liked this book a lot.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this for my Family Nature Connect Create program. This was a wonderful book. Easy to understand the facts regarding the moon, orbit, and tides.
Loved the Moon Milestones and Moon Legends and stories at the back of the book as well.

[Allyson Goose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear, fact-filled look at the science, history, and mythology of the moon. I learned so much! I took off one star because it was published in 1997 and the illustrations of people seem a little dated, which might detract from it for kids.

[Brittney Cayford]

The Moon Book talks about the history of the Moon and where the first theories of the moon came from. This book explains the phases and the visuals go along great. I would use this book for all ages, with more explanations with the younger grades for understanding.