This is one of those books your read to your child (or class) so they become more emotionally intelligent, while you, the adult, choke back tears. This book was touching because of the idea of a young boy loving his grandfather so deeply, but also in the way the character's voice was so distinctly 10 years old. Max is in that perfect stage between misunderstanding the way adults act because of his childishness and understanding the same scenarios more profoundly than even the adults. He was the perfect character to portray such a sweet story of love for someone he knows, deep down, isn't going to be around forever.

It's a longer book and would work well for teaching making inferences, voice, plot structure, and a few other elements. It's likely a story to which upper elementary to middle grade students might relate.

When I was growing up, there was a very strict rule in our house about not touching the record player (get away from that hi-fi you girls!!), and even more important was not touching the albums themselves. So when a children's record player -- and a real one at that, it wasn't that silly Fisher Price glorified music box thing -- was added to our playroom, my sister and I were thrilled to finally be able to manage our own soundtrack to life.

As it turns out, there weren't really that many records made available to us (it would be several years before I was able to convince the powers that be that we should definitely be taking advantage of the fine offerings available at Columbia House), so with the exception of "Free To Be You and Me" and "Honey On Toast", the majority of our collection was made up of read-along books.

I hadn't thought about those books for many years until I read this book by Andreas Steinhöfel. If My Moon Was Your Sun comes with a CD audiobook of the story. Much like most of the read-along books I had as a child, this one includes classical musical interludes at various points throughout the story. Illustrator Nele Palmtag took inspiration from the music of Georges Bizet and Sergei Prokofiev and her illustrations fill the space during which the music plays.

The story itself is fun but bittersweet: a boy named Max liberates his grandfather from the nursing home for the day to travel to a field of memories. As they leave, Miss Schneider, another resident of the nursing home, slips out with them and the trio are off on an adventure. This is a touching look at how dementia can affect a family, especially that bond between grandparents and grandchildren.

Thank you to NetGalley and Plough Publishing for providing me with a DRC of this book.

Such a sweet and moving children's book!

Max is anxious about his grandfather's dementia causing him to forget him so he kidnaps him for a day. I feel like it addresses real life hardships in a way that is more understandable for children and I am a sucker for books with a close grandparent/grandchild relationship since I have always been extremely close to mine.

Beautiful story!!

I enjoy reading children's books in hopes to find new ones for my nieces and nephews. However, this one will not be one that I pick up. While the story is beautiful and the artwork/illustrations are stunning, I was surprised at how wordy the book was. Don't get me wrong, the story is truly beautiful and made me tear up at times. Having just recently lost my grandmother, who had dementia, the story hit me in the heart. It made me wish I had attempted to see her more often like Max saw his grandfather. I think this story would be great for families with children who are going through situations like this as well. It could definitely help them to understand just how important it is to love your grandparents no matter what is happening to them.

(I received this title free as an e-book from NetGalley, but all opinions in this review are my own.)

This is a bittersweet book that deals with important subjects (ageing grandparents, dementia, and coping with a nursing home) without making the topics too heavy for younger readers. I found the grandfather’s character was written beautifully.

What's remarkable is that author Andreas Steinhöfel's book was originally in German, but it translates so well (I believe the author himself did the translation).

If My Moon Was Your Sun would definitely work better in paper form, as there are plenty of illustrations. Additionally, there’s music to accompany the scenes.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was about a little boy whose grandfather lives in a nursing home. He misses him and decides to kidnap him.

This book was not quite what I expected. I expected from the description, I thought this was a picture book for children. While this is a book with pictures, it's more of a beginning reader book.

The story was good and the pictures were good, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

🌙 🌞 🌙 🌞 🌙

IF MY MOON WAS YOUR SON is such a moving story about the touching relationship between grandchildren and their grandparents and impact of dementia. In this poignant tale, Max kidnaps his grandfather from a nursing home, where he is being cared for because he has dementia. Max skips school to save his grandpa, on what he hopes will be their best day ever. But soon everyone in this small town is in pursuit of them and spindly Miss Schneider, who slips out with them. Features beautiful full-color illustrations and a read-along CD audiobook with twelve classical pieces for children by Georges Bizet and Sergei Prokofiev. Also has an intriguing segment between the author and illustrator on their creative process for developing the story. Highly highly recommended!

Thanks to Plough Publishing House and NetGalley for the review copy, in exchange for my honest opinions.

#IfMyMoonWasYourSun #NetGalley

This was a sweet story with beautiful illustrations and an even more beautiful message.

I am a big fan of family stories, especially those with close grandparent relationships, so I knew this had the potential to be a winner for me. While I did feel some of the expressions were not as “kid-friendly” as the typical children’s book, the writing was somehow both poetic and concise. I think this would make the book appealing as both a read aloud and a story a child could read on their own.

I read this in ebook format, so I look forward to getting a hard copy with the accompanying CD. I think that will make the story even more powerful as I share it with my own kids.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.