Rocketmole

by Matt Carr

Meet the mole on a mission! Armstrong the star -nosed mole doesn’t dig living underground. His friends think building a rocket to go to the moon, alone, is an astronomically bad idea, but Armstrong is determined to boldly go where no mole has gone before...

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Oliver Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love when he blasted off into space and he built a underground boring drill. so i kile the illustrations





Oliver age 6 :D

[Alice Maton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of potential in this book!
Mr Armstrong the mole is getting bored of boaring in the dirt so he decides he wants to start looking up and go to the moon! He tries different ways with no hope, then builds a rocket. He is so excited to be on the moon... to start with. He gets bored again and returns to earth. Then he recycles the rocket into a underground drill so he can drill his way to lots of different countries.
Lots of chances for discussion, building rockets, exploring countries, life of a mole/nocturnal animals, space! I asked the children to talk about what they know about the moon, one child (year 1) said 'it is made of cheese and that is the truth!' And 'aliens live in the holes'

[Del · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great read for a six-year old - he was able to read most of it himself and I only had to explain a few words. The illustrations were good too, and it provoked a discussion about space travel, how far away the moon actually is etc (which is where search engines come in handy).

[I _teach_muggles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rocketmole was released in 2019 to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the moon landing. Meet Armstrong, otherwise known as Rocketmole.…one small mole with some very big dreams. Can one small mole convince his friends that adventure is worth the risk…

Armstrong doesn’t belong underground. Unlike his fellow mole companions who are happy and safe in the dark and the damp, Rocketmole is tired of the boring life where nothing happens. Armstrong’s friends think that going to the moon is a very bad idea but Armstrong is determined that this mole is set for things that are out of this world. Will it be one small step for man, one giant leap for mole-kind? And is adventuring alone better than staying with ‘boring’ friends…

Rocketmole is a delightful read with bold illustrations. There are plenty of puns which young readers may not get at first but adults will have good fun in reading and explaining them. Whilst Armstrong achieves his dream of flying to the moon he also learns some valuable lessons. Whilst there, he contemplates his achievement and he begins to miss home and his mole friends. There are positive messages in resilience, risk-taking, problem solving, friendship and bravery.

Woven into the narrative are lessons in gravity, the planets, constellations, and there’s even a bit of geography in a great double page spread at the back that shows all the places that Rocketmole and his friends visit. And if all that wasn’t enough, readers will be inspired to want to know more about moles and the moon after reading the “Magnificent Moon Facts” and “Marvellous Mole Facts" at the end of the story.

An enjoyable read that young readers will enjoy reading time and time again.

Recommended for 4+.

[Freddie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing revolutionary in this plot, but there are certainly more space and mole puns than you could ever anticipate! The highlight of this book is the pictures, they pop with colour and bold lines that are super fun to take in and the little star-nosed moles are just adorable.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books shows us to never give up. To always believe in your imagination.
I also love that one of his friends is called Doug. Great name!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty cute. I had to be pointed out to me that the Mole's name was Armstrong as a reference to Neil Armstrong. Whoops. I loved that he took a cheese sandwich with him.