Molly on the Moon

by Mary Robinette Kowal, Diana Mayo (Illustrator)

A big sister finds that even in a place as lonely as the moon, all you need is a little creativity—and someone to play with—in Molly on the Moon, the debut picture book from award winning sci fi author Mary Robinette Kowal.

When Molly and her family move to the moon, they can only pack the essentials—just one toy each for Molly and her baby brother, Luke.

Luckily, Molly has a big imagination. A packing crate becomes a fort, a tarp becomes a witch’s cape, and some cans become a tea set. Baby Luke, on the other hand . . . has blocks.

Molly doesn’t want to share. At first. But then she realizes that when you’re on the moon—or anywhere else—a big imagination and being with someone you love can be infinitely better than all the toys in the universe.

Genres: Picture Books, Science Fiction, Childrens, Space, Fiction, Stem, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2022

About the author

Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award winning alternate history novel The Calculating Stars, the first book in the Lady Astronaut series which continues in 2025 with The Martian Contingency. She is also the author of The Glamourist Histories series, Ghost Talkers, The Spare Man and has received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, four Hugo awards, the Nebula and Locus awards. Her stories appear in Asimov’s, Uncanny, and several Year’s Best anthologies. Mary Robinette has also worked as a professional puppeteer, is a member of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses, and performs as a voice actor (SAG/AFTRA), recording fiction for authors including Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow, and Neal Stephenson. She lives in Denver with her husband Robert, their dog Guppy, and their “talking” cat Elsie.

Her novel Calculating Stars is one of only eighteen novels to win the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards in a single year.

Reviews

[David H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3-year-old son's review: "That was a great story!"

I thought this was a really fun story about learning to share and play when your family moves to the Moon. The Moon itself provides a really fun setting for kids to read about. However, my son was very concerned for baby Luke in one scene ("he's going to fall and hurt himself!") which led to a fun discussion of lighter gravity (also, it turns out I need to work on my simple explanations). The author includes a note at the end with some information and facts about the Moon, which I wish I had read first for a gravity assist (pun intended).

Highly recommended!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book left me with so many questions, the answers to which would have made for a much more interesting story.

[Marzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story about being in a far away place, underground, with low gravity and few toys and a pesky brother who you suddenly realize has even fewer toys than you do. A story about sharing and why tossing babies in low gravity is a no-no. 💗

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little story about what you do when you go somewhere new and can't bring very much with you.

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talking animals I can handle, whether they are in a world on their own or share it with humans. And worlds filled with magi I can handle. I don't ask too many questions but I have so many questions with this book (though it is a picture book). Why does Molly live on the Moon? Why aren't there any other families there? Is her mother a scientist and that's why they're there?

All those questions aside, I liked the illustrations in this book, I liked that Molly upcycled so many items to make them into toys, I liked her active imagination, and I liked that she decided to share and spend time with her brother.

Then there's an afterward with some interesting Moon facts and some intriguing questions about living on the Moon...but it still doesn't answer why Molly lives there and that kinda bugs me. :)

[Tejal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a delightful, rare-to-find, age appropriate combination of sci-fi, fantasy, emotional learning for the preschool crowd. The striking illustrations make it additionally appealing.

Molly and her little brother move to the moon with only a handful of possessions. The moon is a lonely place, but Molly uses her creativity and imagination to make pretend toys from their supplies. When her little brother tries to play with them, she feels possessive and reluctant, resulting in a sibling tussle. The low gravity on the moon and its effect on objects when they are hurled around is illustrated here, although the gravity concept is not the crux of the story and hence the rest of the plot might not be entirely scientifically accurate which is understandable.

Would highly recommend this book.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a sci-fi fan of many years I should adore this. And it's got lots going for it--the concept of creative play with what you have, getting along with a sibling, moving to a new place. And charming (if derivative)art.

But as a sci-fi fan of many years, I find more holes in this story than the moon has craters:

Why has Molly moved to the moon? Is her family the only one there? Aren't there other kids? Maybe a school? Other places where Molly might go, or is her family trapped in that room.

And while there's a mention of the Moon's lower gravity (and a fuller explanation in the afterward) the lower gravity seems random. Objects (and siblings) only float when it fits the plot. It's confusing and scientifically WRONG!

Good ideas, but not really that good a book in the end.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little confused about why Molly was on the moon, especially since it had very little impact on the story itself, but I do think they did some fun things with that, like her brother bein bounced by gravity, and light things floating towards the fan. But I liked the idea of kids using their imagination to create new play things and toys, and I liked Molly's compassion and self reflection on her actions, also that she sacrificed one of her few toys to make one for her brother. Also the idea of stuffed toys being so important because it gives you "someone to talk to" whereas blocks are played with in a more solitary, less imaginative way. Idk, i thought this was sweet, I'd like it to expand more on the circumstances around why her family has to live on the moon?

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The predominantly blue-and-gray palette of the artwork emphasizes how lonely and miserable it would be for a girl like Molly to live on the moon in an insular, underground module with only one toy and some trash for playthings, a preverbal baby brother, and a mother who thought the moon would be a better place to raise her family than Earth. That might be fine for Mom, but it sounds more like torture for these children, who will never breathe fresh air again, watch a sunset, climb a tree, walk barefoot through grass, see a rainbow, go to school, play with neighborhood kids, or do any of the wonderful things earthlings do. How sad.

[Catherine Petrini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly lives on the moon, but was allowed to bring along only one toy. Creative and resourceful, Molly makes do with what she has, and finds ways to have fun. But what happens when her little brother wants her only toy? This charming picture book has a simple story that children will easily relate to, set against an exotic location that will capture their imaginations. Vivid, descriptive language and colorful, captivating illustrations make this one a winner. And the author includes a section at the end with factual information about what it might really be like to live on the moon.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unique picture book involves a family that lives on the moon. I expected a twist at the end where it was all the girl's imagination, and I was very pleased to discover that it's science fiction all the way through. The book offers a story about everyday life, sibling dynamics, and sharing, but these common picture book themes unfold in a unique way based on the setting. This isn't fantasy, but is genuine science fiction, with an author's note at the end with additional STEM details. It's very rare to find actual science fiction for the preschool crowd, and I really enjoyed this.

[Mia Martinez]

'Molly on the Moon' is a book that teaches young girls and young readers that siblings might have specific toys they want to play with but have each other to play with in certain situations too. That toys matter, but playing each other matters more. I would include this book in my classroom because it teaches young readers the importance of inclusion and being able to decipher what matters more. The intended audience would be second grade due to the illustrations being bigger and vibrants, and the sentence structure as well.

[Maddiegillis16 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of imagination and creativity. This book is about a little girl named Molly who moves to the moon with her mom and little brother Luke. She gets to bring one toy and she chooses her stuffed lamb named Lassie. She explores all the moon has to offer. Throughout the book she learns to share with her brother Luke so that she can have even more fun. I can use this book in my future classroom to encourage my students to creatively play and have an imagination. It is a great book to teach students it is okay to play and be creative.

[Aolund · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting sci-fi picture book about Molly, who lives in an underground room on the moon with her family. While the world of the picture book never gets fully fleshed out (like, why are they on the moon, etc), I still found this was an imaginative and generative book for discussing outer space and gravity on the moon.

Themes: Gravity, Moon, Outer Space
Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun read! It talked about Molly and her family having to move to the moon. They were only allowed to take a few things. Molly though has a great imagination and is using objects to build other toys.

I would maybe use this book in my classroom as part of a science lesson. It talks about gravity, but it also talks about the importance of sharing and enjoying the time with the people around you.

[Bekah Hubstenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A creative premise about a single parent family who moves to the moon conceals a sweet message about sacrifice and sharing between siblings. Mom, son and daughter are depicted with dark skin. No 2nd parent mentioned. I think the idea of an seemingly ordinary family moving to the moon will capture childrens imaginations.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book to my 5yr old and 8yr old! The ethereal illustrations made me want to live on the Moon myself. The sibling dynamic and kids being resourceful when there aren't a lot of official "toys" to be had were very relatable! Using a moment of kids fighting over a toy to demonstrate the low gravity physics of the Moon was so well done.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Molly and her family move to the moon, to live in an underground module, Molly only has room for one toy. She takes her stuffed lamb, but soon with a little imagination she has plenty to play with, but her baby brother Luke only has blocks. Molly has to learn to share with her sibling for reasons she hadn't given thought too.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly now lives on the moon. She was only allowed to bring one toy. A little sheep. She is able to use her imagination and make toys out of cast-off things. However, her little brother only has one friend… her. So, she decides to help him out and make him a new friend of his own. This was a lovely story with lots of heart.

[Haylie Dillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly on the Moon was a book about a family who moved to the moon but it was different than a normal family moving. The kids were only allowed to bring one toy with them but this sparked their imagination. They used materials their mom brought them to build what comes to their mind which was what they did to keep busy and as a child, this made them happy.

[David Edmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

MOLLY ON THE MOON, written by @maryrobinettekowal and illustrated by @dianamayoillo from #roaringbrookpress, is a beautiful story about the power of creativity, sharing, sibling love, and science. This is Mary Robinette Kowal’s first children’s book and it’s just a brilliant as any of her other books. I had not experienced Diana Mayo’s art before, but it is charming and captures Mary Robinette’s story perfectly. I appreciated the afterword from MRK discussing some of the science behind living on the moon in terms that young readers will understand. Yay science!! @mackidsbooks

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[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the creativity of this story! I think it would be best suited for a kindergarten or older group, because it delves a little bit into physics concepts. I've never read a story like this before, and I always find that exciting

[Shan Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari Read: this was our favourite book to read before bed last week, a story about sharing and loving all the way from the moon. Very cute story

Love documenting the books I’ve read to my daughter, and supporting authors of colour!

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book for a small child that has an interest in space. Beautiful illustrations and a big child-friendly format.

[Mary Foxe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about creativity, science, and siblings.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you live on the moon, you'd better get along with your sibling!

[Carrie Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story about sibling love.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly learns to share Lassie with her brother Luke.

[Y.Poston]

very cute moon exploration and early sibling skirmishes
lovely artwork!!!

[Jeretta Hall-Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about sharing and understanding how others may also be struggling around you. A great addition for social emotional learning.