Little and the Moon
This review originally appears here: Little and the Moon - Review as well as at Amazon.So, I decided that I need to dedicate some of my time reviewing books that either my children read, I read to them, or of course, we simply read together. It is important to remember that even though we love to read, we need to remain cognizant of the little children staring at us, wanting or wondering what kind of fun WE are having, and maybe they can have fun with us, or on their own. What we read as children, is what brought us here today, so I chose this particular book to kickoff my first childrens book review.
I paid $5.64 with my Amazon Prime (If you are a reader, and you buy from Amazon, you know that price, and free 2 day shipping is unbeatable.) and I consider it a steal! Price plays a huge part in childrens books, NEVER let anyone tell you it doesn't.
It was only 32 pages, but after getting a good look at Amazon, and the profile of the author, (his pic reminded me of a surfer friend in Carlsbad, Calif. named Mike, so I was ok, HaHa) I decided to go with it, and I was really glad I did.
The cover and pages are sturdy, they will take a kids beating for quite a few reads, and re-reads, and here is something parents want to hear... There are blank pages in the back for those crayon scribbles you know are going to end up on it! There are lots of illustrations (black/white/shades of grey), and they cover the entire page, EVERY PAGE. So the likelihood of crayon scribbling is pretty low, because it is a lot of dark colors, which I say extends the reading life of the book itself. For parents, durability and continued re-readability is a huge factor in buying childrens books, and this is an above average value for the money.
I got down on the living room floor, and placed it flat so all 4 of my Daughters could see, and read it to them. The pages folded over well, and it laid flat very well for them all to see effortlessly. The print is rater larger than normal, so it allowed the older one to to see and read along.
So here is what I got from our time together, sharing the book...
My 6 year old female:
She got her blankie and pillow, it was nighttime when I read it. She liked touching the illustrations, and asked questions mostly about the landscape, she paid close attention, and focused on the illustrations as she listened. When all was said and done, she said "I loved it.", and asked if she could have the book after I was through reading it.
My 8 year old female:
She too was interested in touching the illustrations, asked questions about the landscape as well, and was trying to "finger track" (following the words with her finger as read.) which meant she was interested in following along with the text. She said "It was great, I loved it."
My 9 year old female (special needs):
My special needs child was interested in the "tabbit" itself, and followed along closely with his movements throughout the book, and wanted to touch the moon every time he tried/did. She did not comment on the book as a whole, but said she wanted to give the little "tabbit" a "big hug", and went to the window to look for the moon after the reading.
My 10 year old female:
She said the book was "cute", and was not really interested in reading along, and not so much the illustrations, though she did help explain the illustrations to the younger ones. There were only two words she did not know, and promptly asked for a definition. (vast and capsized) She loved just listening, and stayed interested, as she was able to discuss the questions with the other younger girls.
...They all four loved the illustration of the cave, touched the pages (even the 10 year old) and discussed the crystals for a few moments. That was the illustration that got the most attention.
When all was said and done, the book held up well having its paged pressed flat with every turn, and returned back to a pretty much flat form when closed. This book will take a bit of kid abuse. It was worth the spend, and even if you only get one read out of it, it was a fair and square five buck read.
