Lili DeBarieri wrote a really amazing book and Katie Wools illustrated it in perfections
Sun & Moon Take turns helps to teach the kids alot of wonderful things

This story was lovely and had almost a fable like quality. While not scientifically factual, the story was a great way of introducing conflict resolution to young readers and how we can work together to solve problems.

I liked the retro feel of the illustrations and also loved that the author included some factual information at the end of the book about the sun and moon, which I know Riley (aged 9) really loved reading.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good story about the sun and the moon, and why they are important. It also teaches the children the importance of compromise and voting. I thought the pictures were great and it taught a great lesson. I did find it very distracting that some of the writing on the colorful pages was white and very hard to read.

Sun & Moon Take Turns written by Lili DeBarbieri is a bit of a mixed bag* for me, but I’ll try to explain toward the end of my review. (A mess of a review that, quite probably, will rival the book itself in length. I’m sorry!) For the most part, it’s great. I love the lessons in group work and collective problem solving. I like the variety of methods used to reach a peaceable conclusion: a cook-off, paper-rock-scissors, debate, games. Sharing and taking turns are key takeaways. Resolving problems without a fight and being willing and able to compromise are also very worthwhile. Being able to recognize the needs of others stands out as another interpersonal skill this book covers remarkably well.

The landscapes illustrated by Katie Wools are beautiful and the wildlife is captivating. (Unfortunately, depictions of suns and moons with faces have never been a favorite of mine. I’m sure they’re delightful to others, but I’ve always felt a bit unsettled by creepy anthropomorphized celestial bodies. It’s not you, it’s definitely me.) The colors are appealing and the artwork is lovely. Each and every picket sign deserves the time of day (or night.) They’re quite clever and are one of the things that makes this book stand out among many.

The Good:
see above

The Bad:
I feel as though the premise of the story is a disservice to science. It’ll be tough for me to overcome the feeling that by sharing the story as written, I’m cultivating an already overpopulated congregation of evolutionary ignorance and denial.

& The Ugly:
The Ugly is all the racket which occurred in my head and on screen while I tried to articulate the thoughts and feelings I experienced while reading this book and trying to write its review.
see below

*This might be (definitely is) raising my hackles more than a children’s picture book ought to, but I’ve reread the book several times and can’t shake it. Initially, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what aspect of this book was rubbing me the wrong way, so I reread it a few times in succession and took these notes.

As is typically the case in picture books, the first two spreads reveal the book’s raison d’être. Spread One reads, “In the beginning, all the Earth’s animals faced a serious problem.” The “serious problem” is stamped onto the Second Spread, as if it is a scientifically proven certainty that the duration of the rotation of Earth caused woe and anguish among its wildlife, notably the animals. This is a particularly dubious foundation since anything alive “in the beginning” would have been suited to the environment in which it originated, would then have reproduced or have died off.

Is it responsible to have children reading that extant animals species had to deal with an erratic imbalance of light and dark, heat and cold? In the not so distant past, I might not have given it a second though, much less a fifth or sixth. It’s disorienting to be living on a world that people (even some well-educated people) claim is flat. That we live alongside such doltishness at a time when knowledge is so widely and freely available is concerning. Leading children to believe that animals helped to influence the length of days and nights, when in truth the days and nights and climates triggered the evolution necessary for giving us the animals we recognize today? Building a story around that just feels “off” to me. Meanwhile in my inscrutable and confounding mind, a bear and a squirrel making enchiladas together is a delightfully acceptable scene.

Thanks to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest and unbiased. #NetGalley #SunMoonTakeTurns

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I almost failed to mention the wealth of knowledge following the story. Copious amounts of information regarding days, nights, the sun, our moon, the rotation and tilt of our planet, the seasons, the tides, plants, and the sleeping habits of animals are provided for the truly eager learner and clear up some of the discrepancies between the story and the science. It’s a lot of information. Regrettably though, these blocks of text read at a notably higher literacy skill level than the story, and without a visually appealing backdrop.

At the beginning of the story the sun and moon are arguing about who should be in the sky. The daytime and nocturnal animals begin to argue and protest over whether the sun or the moon is more important. The animals try and come up with different games or contests to solve the major dilemma. As the story progresses, readers learn about the different ways the sun and moon each provide for the earth. I feel like this story wouldn't keep the attention of a younger crowd and may be more suitable for the 7+ age readers. I did like that the story promoted problem solving and learning to work together to come to a resolution. The illustrations were very nice and had a vintage feel. .

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This beautifully illustrated story reads like a fable. In it, the reader observes as various animals make their cases for why the sun or the moon is better and more needed. The animals think of a number of ways to resolve their dilemma of which should be in charge and finally find a solution. Of course, the critters decide that both the moon and sun are important and needed. Along the way, young readers find out more about all of the things that the sun and moon provide for us. The book concludes with an extended additional section on the science of the sun, moon, seasons and more.

In addition to telling a tale about the sun and moon, the story is also a metaphor for problem solving and co-operation among people. This can open up a good discussion for children and their adults about compromise and working together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e galley in exchange for an honest review.

The sun and the moon are squabbling about their importance to the universe and how each one thinks they are the best. The day and night animals take sides because they are tired of the ongoing argument.

The animals decide to find a solution. They hold competitions ( a cookout and a race) to finally solve this dilemma once and for all. That didn't work out so the teams decide to take a vote - a very democratic way of finalizing the heated situation. Will this method bring resolve and offer a middle ground that will make everyone happy and content especially the sun and the moon and bring harmony to all?

The book teaches about compromise and understanding how everyone needs to work together for the good everyone. At the end of the book the author has added factual information about the Sun, Moon, and creatures that are nocturnal and diurnal. This is a great component for kids who want to find out more about how our cosmos works.

This is a children's book but it feels very vintage/retro. The colours are very muted and are not very enticing or engaging for children. Whilst the story is good and could be fun for parents/carers to read with children, the illustrations let the book down.

Good educational book that adds what appeals to kids. This book not only shows the difference between night and day, but also how it effects things, such as wildlife and the ocean. There is also a few pages in the back that explain a few different aspects such as the tide, nocturnal and diurnal animals and seasons, but it is quite a bit of reading. Aside from the sun and moon, it also teaches about compromise and looking at a situation from both sides. It would make a great story time book!

Thank you to Schiffer Publishing and NetGalley! I loved this book. It was a really cool story that explained how both the sun and the moon are equally important. The story is funny and captivating as the animals compete for the sun and moon. It also teaches the great lesson of compromise and understanding how things can be equally important! The illustrations are beautiful and I really enjoyed the section at the end of the book that discussed facts about the sun and the moon and how important they are. This book will be a great learning tool for kids but also an enjoyable story.

This is such a train wreck. It starts out as a creations story, about how the moon and the sun are hogging time in the sky. FIrst the sun shines for days, and then the moon shines for days, and that is kind of where it falls apart. The moon is full all the time? And the animals complain about it being dark? Have you ever been outside when the moon is full?

Ok, so it is a creation story. Doesn't need to make sense, right? It just has to tell how they both came to a mutual understanding, and lived in harmony, correct?

Nope, then the animals, that have somehow managed to survive this weird timeline, get together, and discuss, and argue and hold races, and contents to decided who gets to be in the sky when. Say what?

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-21-at-12.33.34-AM.png" alt="The sun and the moon" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5093" />

In the end, animals voted, and we have the sun and moon doing what they do right now.

And then the rest of the book explains how the earth is an oblate spheroid, flattened at the polls, and it wobbles as it rotates, and a whole bunch more stuff.

Sorry, just doesn't work for me, no matter how you slice it.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Such a gorgeous almost creation story. I lost the discussion and tasks from the animals. Very cute. The story itself would be perfect as a bedtime read, but there is an afterword that enables the book to grow with you little one.

This is a confusing little book! First, we get a strange sort of creation story about how the sun and the moon fight over who gets to be up in the sky and create day or night. Then we get a long, rambling author's note full of repetition and iffy facts that basically negates the whole premise of the fictional story! It's confusing to see a story that tells the reader that day and night are created by the sun and moon wanting to stay in the sky longer... and then reading the author's note that tells the reader that day and night are created by the rotation of the Earth.

As a creation story, it doesn't work because the animals and their lives are too modern. (They use bottled hot sauce and walk around carrying picket signs.) It also doesn't work because of the notes at the end; they just confuse the issue. I have no problem with fantasy explaining a natural phenomenon (see Grace Lin's A Big Mooncake for Little Star for a wonderful example of this type of story); it's when the book turns around and negates the fantasy that I have a problem with. Why should I bother reading the fiction part at all if I'm just going to be told that's not how it works after all?

This might've worked if the Earth had been brought in as a character to point out that she's the one who's really creating the days and nights. But it's left up to the animals to bicker and argue about it, even though it's not even about them. All they do is compete for the privilege of telling the sun or moon it's going to be in the sky all the time, controlling the days and nights. It's a weird premise to begin with, and it's not done particularly well, either.

The facts in the author's note are simplified to the point of inaccuracy. And there are a few instances of repetition that should've been caught by an editor.

I'm afraid I can't recommend this one. It doesn't work as either a creation story or a non-fiction title... so, for me, it doesn't really work at all.