Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As a preschool teacher, I can truly see my students adoring this book. Not only does Margot and the Moon Landing tell an intriguing story that will keep many a kid interested, but it also has a beautiful deeper meaning to it and could potentially teach kids a lot about the moon landing and space! While this isn’t a new favorite that I’ll be looking to add to my classroom shelves immediately, it is one that I’ll definitely be looking out for on sale!

Great book about communication, self-expression, creativity, and passion. Giving it to every kid I know, and their parents. A million stars.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really cute book! This is a really important book I think too, I liked the message it sends to both kids and parents! 5 out of 5 without question, amazing story, adorable art and awesome characters :)

Margot lives and breathes space exploration, but no one else shares her fascination. This makes her feel unheard and isolated. In a sweet, beautiful, and unique manner, her mother makes a connection with her. I loved the message—many of us had a specific obsession, focus, or goal during childhood and it meant everything to us to get support from others. The illustrations are also wonderful. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

This was a cute story about a girl who's obsessed with the moon landing and space, and only ever wants to talk about that subject. It would be a good read for someone who's interested in STEM or subjects that other kids aren't very interested in. Its message of understanding and following your passion is an important one for young readers.

Poor Margot doesn't feel like she belongs. While her friends want to play kickball and read about about animals or princess all she wants to do is talk about space travel. Only when she's alone her room can she really be herself and read about the moon landing until she falls asleep. One day Margot's frustrations at not being heard or seen for who she is boil over and she scribbles out her feeling all over walls. Instead of being mad though, Margot's mom realizes that Margot needs to be able to express herself and let her use her room to do just that. This is a lovely book about finding ways to express your frustration and anger and also being yourself.

I'm actually a little bit surprised by this one... and not in a good way. While the underlying ideas about listening are fine, there's another way this book can be interpreted, and it leads to some very uncomfortable messages.

Margot is obsessed with space. All she wants to do is read about it. When she's not reading about it, she's talking about it... even if it's not an appropriate time or place. One day, she wakes up and the only things that come out of her mouth are parts of Neil Armstrong's famous speech. Nobody thinks anything's wrong, because she's always talked about space before, anyway. She goes home, frustrated, and writes out all her worries on her wall (even though she knows that's wrong). Her mother reads what she's written, her normal words come back, and her mother encourages her love of spacey things.

What I'm having a problem with here is that Margot could be interpreted as being on the autism spectrum. She has a fixed, narrow interest. She doesn't want to do anything else; when the other kids try to engage her in other activities, she just blurts space facts at them. She doesn't seem to be able to read other people or gauge situations, and tries to share her space facts at inappropriate times (like during a kickball game, or when she's called on in math class). She's aware she's different, but she doesn't seem to know what to do about it. Now, it wouldn't be a problem if Margot were autistic... except for the fact that the story seems to punish her for it. Through some supernatural justice system, she's condemned to repeat Neil Armstrong's speech as punishment for... what? Being obsessed with space? This punishment doesn't really serve to teach her anything (she's still just as obsessed with space at the end of the book, and presumably annoying her classmates with random facts). I almost got the feeling that there's supposed to be a "boy who cried wolf" thing going on here. But that's rather unfair, given the way the character is set up. In essence, Margot ends up being punished for her autism.

The pictures are fine, but I just don't feel right about the story. If it had taken a slightly different approach and perhaps addressed the elephant in the room, it might have worked better. Instead, we're left with a story about a girl who's punished for something that's out of her control. (Had she shown an ability to rein in her perseveration, I might have viewed her character a little differently. But since she seemed incapable of doing so, it felt unfair for her to be punished for it.)

I'm afraid I can't recommend this one.

Margot thinks about the moon all the time. She reads, collects facts and talks about outer space all the time to the consternation of others . This makes it difficult for Margot at school, both academically and socially. Things crescendo until one day all of the words that come out of Margot's mouth are about the moon landings; she can say nothing else. Margot goes home and writes her frustrations out on the wall. The result is that her mother really hears her and responds to her in a creative way.

This is a good book for kids who may feel different. It acknowledges difference and also the importance of being heard. Along the way, there are lots of interesting moon facts.

This title has appealing and inclusive illustrations. They add to the story in a lovely way.

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

Margot loves learning about outer space and wants to share what she learns with everyone around her. Unfortunately, no one else seems interested. She grows more and more frustrated that no one will listen until she finally has had enough. She scribbles her feelings on the wall.

The illustrations for this book are lovely and full of small details that really help to tell the story. I like how Margot has a note reminding her of kickball practice at the end, showing that not only are others beginning to listen to her interests, but she's also working to try out new things and make new friends!

This is a great book for any child who has a passion for something that others don't seem to quite get. The character and her class represent a diverse and realistic community and there are plenty of nuggets of information that readers can expand upon to launch their own space information exploration.

Margot loves everything about the moon and wants to tell everyone about it. But to Margot, it seems like no one is listening. Until one day she just erupts and finally someone really hears her.
Margot and the Moon Landing is about a girl who loves the moon, but it is really about a girl who doesn't feel seen or heard and she becomes frustrated. I love the inclusion of strong emotions, characters from different cultures than are typically portrayed in stories about space and adults who realize they were wrong. I look forward to adding this to my classroom collection.

A cute book, loved the illustrations. Margot just won't give up on letting everyone know how much she loves and is interested in space! A fun book for anyone who loves space but also wants to learn about it and see other perspectives.

A cute story about a girl who feels like no one is listening to her. I like it and my daughter did too!

This was absolutely wonderful. The message was so poignant and I love that the solution was for Margot's mom to come into her world. It would have been easy to paint Margot's focus on space as a negative, and I'm so happy they didn't. We will definitely be picking up a hard copy of this once it is out.