Another lovely book by Laura Purdie Salas! The lyrical language supports the topic, and the art is gorgeous.

My Thoughts:
Beautiful illustrations as the moon tells a little girl about all the things it does. Science-based, but poetic as well.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Some might have concerns that the back-and-forth between science fact and symbolism/imagination are too confusing for a small child. With a 790 lexile, definitely one to read to children, though those at the high end of the age range should be okay.

Who Might Like This Book:
Anyone who is fascinated by the moon. This makes a great addition to your pile of bedtime stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review is also posted at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2020/07/childrens-nonfiction-keeps-learning.html

A sweet book with beautiful illustrations. Some science, some bedtime story.

If You Were the Moon is a picturebook by Laura Purdie Salas and Jaime Kim. If you were the moon, what would you do? You'd spin like a twilight ballerina and play dodgeball with space rocks! A blend of ideas about what a moon does that is perfect for bedtime reading is paired with information about the real science and facts about the moon.

If You Were the Moon is a lovely book, with illustrations that are detailed and in colors that catch the eye. This book could be approached two ways, and in that way can also grow with your child. On one hand, you could just read the larger print and have a lovely bedtime story, a quick and light read. Thgis text is well shaped for reading aloud, and the illustrations are somehow soothing even with the pops of color and details. The bracketed information offers accessible facts about the moon, that can inspire research or further conversations about science and the moon in particular. I really liked that there was a glossary and resources for further information and exploration at the end of the book.

I think this book is one that can grow with young readers, can inspire interest and conversations, and will stand up to multiple reads. A win on encouraging science and information seeking, as well as offering a sweetly flowing bedtime story.

This terrific title is both a poetic narrative book and non-fiction science book rolled into one.

Summary: A sleepy little girl looks out her window one night and wishes she “could do exactly nothing,” just like the moon. The smiling, anthropomorphic moon kindly responds by listing all the things the little girl would actually do if she were the moon.

The moon describes the many things the moon can do using a lyrical list such as “Spin like a twilight ballerina…Play dodgeball with space rocks…or…Be a bright alarm clock to wake the night.” The author’s adept use of figurative language (simile, personification & metaphor) creates strong visual imagery for the reader and/or listener. This alone will certainly make teachers break into a happy dance.

But there’s so much more. The book is uniquely formatted so that each “lyrical page” alternates with an informational (nonfiction) page. For instance, the page which reads the moon can “Spin like a twilight ballerina,” is followed by an informational page providing interesting facts about the moon’s ability to spin on an invisible axis. Oh, sooo clever.

An impressive amount of science content is included, covering such topics as how the moon was formed, different phases of the moon, and the important reciprocal relationship between the Earth and the moon. With the current emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) topics in education, this title is a dream.

ARC-Netgalley

Beautiful illustrations that compliment the scientific facts listed. Simple yet appropriate for the age range. Includes glossary in the back.

I loved this! The artwork is beautiful and the story is delightful. I love the fact blurbs on each page. This would be a wonderful read-aloud story and a great addition to a science unit on the moon or space.

''Helloooooooooo up there, moon!" I feel like I know you so much better than ever before, you do so much when it seems like you do so little. Thank you moon for sharing with me how you spin like a ballerina but also with a wobble. Moon thank you for being honest about not being good at dodge ball, and that you like to hide in shadows, "Helloooooooooo up there, Moon!"

If you were the moon would you expect to be so busy? The child in the book thought the moon got to do nothing all day long but didn't realise just how busy the moon was. This book is filled with beautiful illustrations, facts about the moon and a story to go along with it. It is a versatile book because the basic story line can be read to toddlers and older, and you can add the facts section to your reading session for older children.

What I love about the illustrations is that they spread joy and cheer with the moon, the earth, and the little girl glowing with contentment and smiles. In fact I love the moon, the illustrated moon in the book that is. It is endearing and friendly and makes me feel that it is looking out for everyone during the night, keeping the world moving while everyone sleeps.

At the rear of the book the glossary gives the children and adult a definition of some of those less known terms such as phase, which means the shape of the part of the moon that can be seen at different times. The further reading section is a useful addition to the book especially if the reader is interested in the moon or space.

I recommend this book for all ages, I think it will delight a variety of readers and I know I loved it.

Laura Purdie Salas is an author that I trust to deliver a quality book, and she does not disappoint in this latest endeavor. Her descriptions of the moon are accurate and yet whimsical at the same time. She has the moon correcting a child who says, "I wish I could do exactly nothing, just like you." So the moon spends the rest of the book explaining what it is so busy doing all the time - spinning (rotating), playing peek-a-boo (changing phases), pulling at the oceans (causing tides), etc. The illustrations complete the book in that wonderful synergy that happens in the best picture book pairings. Jaime Kim's beautiful pictures show the moon in a tutu pirouetting through space, playing dodgeball with space rocks, or lighting the way as baby sea turtles crawl back to the ocean after they hatch. Together, the author and illustrator convey astronomy facts (both in the main text and in side notes) and capture the mystery and allure of the moon at the same time.

A perfect introduction to the topic for young readers, and an excellent example of descriptive writing for middle grade readers.

A beautifully illustrated book about a little girl who challenges the moon. She wishes she could just sit there and do nothing, but the moon has quite a few things to say about that! While the moon explains his job to the girl, readers learn about why he is important to all the different people (like farmers) and processes (like the tides )on earth. The story itself is sweet, and the informational asides are easy to understand. Unfortunately, the asides are a bit disruptive to the flow of the story. This would be great for classroom use, but maybe not as fun for bedtime reading.

Beautifully illustrated book about the moon and all the jobs it has. Just how important is the moon? The story is fun, yet full of facts to keep kids engaged.

I've been trying like crazy to access this book since I got approved for review. I am not able to download it, even after multiple attempts. I wish you provided another format, but I understand. Thanks for the opportunity.

This is the perfect bedtime story to share with a bright full moon shining in through the bedroom window. It seems everyone is enthralled with the moon and many think it is just a big old light sitting around putting in time until the sun arrives in the morning and relieves it of its nightly duties. Young readers will learn that the moon is a very busy fellow and while half of the world is sound asleep he is multi-tasking and accomplishing important things such as keeping our wobbly world on its axis, now that's no small task.

"If You Were the Moon" is a non-fiction book wrapped up in beautiful illustrations that will engage kids (and adults) from cover to cover. The imparted information regarding the moon's role and why it exists are many. Bold vibrant illustrations have simple text embedded in them that explains the concept of gravity, inspires the arts, controls the tides, effects nocturnal animals, provides a lighted pathway for baby sea turtles, helps agriculture, and explains its very origin, just to name a few. The friendly personified moon, a wise and caring character, informs in plain terminology the role he plays night after night in our vast universe as he slowly moves across the sky.
Bedtime story + astronomy lessons = a winning combination that I highly recommend. It should be included in school classrooms and libraries everywhere.

I love the artwork in this book, and I love the balance between a traditional picture book story and the real facts that were integrated so that the child can learn about the moon while enjoying the story. I will definitely purchase this one!

Beautiful, luminous artwork; perfect for the subject matter. Love the facts the author included. They are intriguing and give just enough information to inspire little minds to look for more. However the verse itself, though at times perfectly aimed and childlike, misses the read-aloud cadence the beautiful artwork suggests. For example, I love the spread "challenge the ocean to a tug-of-war." It's at once sparse and full, and a great lead-in for the nonfiction sidebar. But the "tease the earth: peek-a-boo" spread feels clunky by comparison. Overall I would recommend the book. I can see my children choosing it off their shelves to look at the beautiful illustrations.

The illustrations and story in this are so sweet! The facts have some elevated vocabulary, but it's all well explained and there's a glossary in the back. I actually learned something about the moon from this, and I think it would be a great space science resource for lower elementary.