Moon!: Earth's Best Friend: Our Universe, Book 3
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fun, solid science couched in spirited friendship story.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
MOON! EARTH'S BEST FRIEND begins with the narrator, the moon, explaining that the moon and Earth have been together since a space rock crashed into "baby Earth" about 4.5 billion years ago and created a big mess. "Pieces of rock, chunks of Earth, and even lava were blasted into space. This crash trash came together to make ME!" The moon goes on to tell all sorts of facts about the moon and Earth, including their relatives sizes, strengths of gravity, the moon's phases and effect on Earth's tides, how solar and lunar eclipses work, and more.
Is It Any Good?
This fun, kid-friendly science lesson is couched as a cute and lively friendship story between Earth and the moon. Author Stacy McAnulty's choice to make the moon the narrator is a clever one, as it draws kids in and sweeps them up in the moon's bubbly enthusiasm. And Stevie Lewis' cartoon-like illustrations are loaded with personality and expressiveness. To show the difference between the moon and Earth's size and strength of gravity, he portrays them wearing workout head- and wristbands and lifting weights. Earth easily lifts a long barbell overhead one-handed, while the moon struggles to raise one small free weight, with sweat beads flying off her forehead. (Earth is referred to as "she/her" throughout the book.)
Moon! Earth's Best Friend ends with a warm and comforting message to the reader: "Im always here for Earth. I'm always here for you. Where Earth goes, I go./ And where Earth goes, you go! Guess that makes us best friends, too."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they learned about the moon in Moon! Earth's Best Friend. What facts were new to you? What did you already know?
What fact surprised you the most about the moon?
Why do you think the author decided to talk about Earth and the moon as if they were best friends? How did that help you understand how the two are connected?
Book Details
- Author: Stacy McAnulty
- Illustrator: Stevie Lewis
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: STEM, Science and Nature, Space and Aliens
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Henry Holt
- Publication date: June 11, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: February 6, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Books for Kids Who Love Math and Science
Best Outer Space Apps and Games for Kids
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate