Review: The Moon is Broken! by Monique B. Martin

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

A simple lunar lesson belays a deeper message of acceptance and trust in The Moon is Broken!
Children learn in layers. Every
day they are building upon their primary foundations of understanding.  Monique B. Martin charmingly demonstrates how
children view, process and learn from the world around them in The Moon is Broken!, a rhyming story
written for children ages 3 to 8, yet easily relatable for children of all ages.
It explains why the moon appears to change shapes and exemplifies how all of God’s
creations are made with perfect purpose. The
Moon is Broken! e-book version is
also available in Spanish.


As the young girl in The Moon is Broken! looks out her window
before bed, she sees that the moon is a crescent, no longer a circle, and she
fears a piece has broken off. She looks for the piece of moon but can’t find it
and she wonders why God hasn’t noticed it is broken and fixed it. Is he sick?
Is he sleeping? Where is he? She runs to her mother, who explains the movement
of the moon around the earth and why it appears to change shape.


The Moon is Broken! teaches its small listeners and readers that appearances do not
tell the whole story.  The mother explains
the importance of trusting in God and his design.


Children with special needs,
infants, toddlers, preschoolers and elementary children all will enjoy and
learn from this sweet story that will leave them knowing, feeling, that they
are exactly as they are supposed to be. 

MY TAKE:
From the title alone, it's easy to see what this book is about.

In The Moon is Broken!, the little girl in the story is scared when she notices that the once full moon looks different.

For kids who haven't learned about the phases of the moon yet, the changes in the moon can be scary. I thought it was a nice touch to mention that God made all things and that these things are perfect just the way God made them.

The illustrations appear rendered on a computer program, which I wasn't really a fan of. Personally, I prefer children's books' illustrations to be whimsical or cartoonish, and the mediums to be colored pencils, watercolor paints, or really anything that has a lot of shades and gradations and doesn't look flat.

Thanks to NetGalley and Freret Media for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Moon is Broken! is on August 13, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. It can introduce kids to the phases of the moon.
2. It reminds kids that God created everything.
3. The child and her mother's relationship is sweet to read about.

THE BAD:

1. The illustration style may not appeal to everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

God made the trees
with their beautiful leaves,
and the pretty flowers
that feed the bees.

READ IT IF:

1. You want to introduce your child to the phases of the moon.
2. You believe that God created all things, and you want to remind your child of that.
3. You are looking for books that have sweet mother-daughter bonding moments.

RATING:


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