The Moon Over Star

Author: Dianna Hutts Aston

Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Peach’s Picks Rating:

Year of publication: 2008

City of publication: New York

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780803731073

Author website: No website available. Information about the author is available at http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,0_1000067428,00.html?sym=BIO

Illustrator website: http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/

Media used for illustrations: Full-color artwork created using graphite, ink, and watercolor on paper

Annotation: On July 20, 1969, eight-year-old Mae excitedly follows the Apollo 11 flight as she dreams of being an astronaut. Pinkney’s illustrations bring to life Mae’s daily routine as history is being made.

Personal reaction to the book: This gentle and loving story centers on the Apollo 11 moon landing, but is really the story of family relationships and a girl dreaming of her future. Eight-year-old Mae lives on a farm outside a small town named Star. The story begins Sunday morning July 20, 1969, when she and her extended family worship in church. It continues through the day as Mae and her cousins play outside together while eagerly awaiting the Apollo 11 television broadcast. Finally the time has come and the family gathers in front of the television. Gramps is not as enthusiastic about the Apollo 11 flight as other family members. Mae thoughtfully examines him, wondering what his dreams might have been as a young man. She thinks of her own dreams for the future. By the conclusion of the book, Gramps feels the family’s excitement and joins them outside, smiling up at the night sky. The repetition of the phrase “once upon a summer’s morning” (or noon, or night) provides breaking points which advance the story to new scenes. The repetition of this phrase also shows that the events of the story take place during one day. The book is written in lyrical free-form verse that reads aloud well. The illustrator created many clues showing the family’s close relationship. They worship, play, watch the moon landing, and gaze at the night sky together. Mae and her father are shown in church with the father’s arm lovingly and protectively placed around her right shoulder (page 3). At the end of the book Gramps bends down toward Mae’s face. The two are happily engaged in conversation. The illustrations are intricate and filled with visual depth and texture. Scan the illustrations for background details placing the story in 1969; for example, the table-top telephone with a receiver cradle (pages 17-18), rabbit ears sitting on the television (pages 17-18), and webbed lawn furniture (pages 23-24).

General curricular connections:

• Space exploration
• Apollo 11 flight
• Families

Recommended grade levels:

School Library Journal recommends this book for grades K-3

Booklist recommends this book for grades preschool-3

Peach’s Picks recommends this book for grades 1-5

Awards/Recognitions:
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books Award 2009
Nominee for California Young Reader Medal (CYRM) award 2011
Publisher's Weekly starred review

Notes: This book was selected from "The Top Ten Favorites List / Summer Session 2009", San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science, LIBR 271A, Genres & Topics in Youth Literature, Professor Partington.

Simile: Page 22; “And the stars, gleaming like spilled sugar.”

Personification: Page 20; “When the crickets began to sing…”

Personification: Page 22; “The cornstalks whispered…”

Allusion: Using Mae as the main character’s first name alludes to the African-American astronaut, Mae C. Jemison

Onomatopoeia: Page 20; “Stomped off the porch.”

Repetition: “Once upon a summer’s morning” (page 1); Once upon a summer’s noon” (page 7);  Once upon a summer’s night” (page 23);  “And once upon a summers’ night” (page 29)

Book cover picture retrieved from: http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780803731073,00.html?The_Moon_Over_Star_Dianna_Hutts_Aston#