Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Charming, friendly intro to the moon and its phases.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
At the beginning of WHEN MOON BECAME THE MOON, the cast of characters -- Earth, Sun, Moon, and planets -- greet the reader as smiling round spheres with the occasional arm jutting out to wave hi. Then comes moon's origin story: "Long ago," Earth and another early planet crashed into each other, creating melting rocks flying in space that melded together and formed a moon. That moon became Earth's "friend" and has stayed by "her" for billions of years as they circle around (orbit) Sun together. The book goes on to explain the phases of the moon, its effect on ocean tides, and reference space travel to the moon, with Moon's encouraging invitation: "Come visit me someday!"
Is It Any Good?
This kid-friendly explanation of the moon's origin and daily, monthly, yearly travels makes a great intro for young kids and future space explorers. The cheery, inviting tone of When Moon Became the Moon draws kids in and rewards them with solid science and cute, funny asides. When Moon gets bonked by space rocks that create her caters and she says, "That tickles!" or when, at Moon's halfway point around Earth, she only gets lit up by Sun from behind and she says to him, "Don't look at my butt!" are sure to get giggles every read. When Moon Became the Moon offers a fun way to learn about space science and start a conversation about the world above us that we can see with our own eyes -- or a telescope!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the different phases of the moon shown in When Moon Became the Moon. Take a look in the night sky and see what the moon looks like -- is it a full moon? A crescent moon? Is it waning or waxing? Now do you understand why it looks different on different days of the month?
Are you curious about the moon and the planets? Would you like to travel to them? How do scientists use their curiosity to make discoveries?
Have you ever seen an eclipse? Would you like to? Have you ever seen the moon during the daytime? Do you think you'll notice the moon more after reading this book?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Rob Hodgson
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : STEM
- Character Strengths : Curiosity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Rise x Penguin Workshop
- Publication date : August 29, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 5
- Number of pages : 64
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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