If You Decide to Go to the Moon by Faith McNulty (2007) Paperback

This went over really well with my two year old and four year old boys. I'll consider this one as a birthday give for other children.

My 5 yr old has been riveted by this book since he got it at the age of 3.....we have given it as gifts to 4-5yr olds and always got a call or email commenting on how great the book is. The story is imaginative and well written, with interesting details, it is actually educational but mostly fun. The pictures are what take your breath away. It is a great birthday gift for boys and girls!

My 5 year old has so much fun with this book. It is written in a way that makes the child feel as if they are traveling to the moon. It talks about what it would be like. The pictures are my son's favorite part of the book. Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful book that my 3 year old loves, but, despite being appropriate for a 3 year old, it is a pleasure to read to him, because it is full of provocative ideas that adults enjoy. I suspect we will both continue to enjoy it for years to come. It is a great companion to 'On the Moon' by Anna Milbourne and Benji Davies, which is essentially a re-telling of the Apollo mission for kids, whereas this book is a re-imagining of the Apollo mission. It follows an imaginary modern journey to the Moon, where, among other things, the young astronaut finds the flag left by the Apollo astronauts blown over by their blast off, and re-erects it. It ends by comparing the richness of life on Earth, made possible by air and water, to the desolation of the Moon. It is also beautifully illustrated.

This book arrived at our library last week, and I was immediately blown away by it! Faith McNulty and Steven Kellogg have done a great job of showing and telling children what a trip to the moon would really be like. One thing that is great about this book is the way experiences and things that are familiar to children are used to describe extraordinarily UN-familiar experiences and ideas. The book is written in the second person point of view -- directly addressing the reader. I thought it was brilliant the way McNulty captures what a child's (or anyone's) feelings might be as they hurtle through the dark expanse of space, far away from the comfort of Earth and home. ("Up here in space you may feel very alone. Don't look back at the Earth. It would make you even lonelier.") Kellogg illustrates a variety of moods, experiences and concepts from eye-catching perspectives. There is whimsy: an astronaut floats weightlessly around inside the capsule amidst a swarm of playing cards, and, later in the book an unexpected herd of hypothetical moon cows makes an appearance! There is quite a lot of loneliness in Kellogg's space: A lone astronaut hops around and explores the strange, barren, black and grey moonscape for several pages. In a compelling two-page spread, Kellogg depicts a lone astronaut, standing on the Moon under a lonely black sky -- the scene is printed with the darkest jet black ink I have EVER seen printed in any picture book. At the end of the journey, the astronaut returns to an exuberant fold out frieze of Earth's magnificently varied biodiversity, under a shining sun and clear sky with children swimming in fresh, clear water -- the essential element that makes our planet habitable. I was especially pleased to see this book, since another excellent children's book about the Moon, E.C. and Robin Krupp's book, The Moon and You, is not readily available anymore. I highly recommend this book for any elementary school library, or for the book collections of Kindergarteners to second graders. I also would not be surprised if it wins some children's book awards in the months to come.