If You Decide To Go To The Moon

I read this book to my kids, then 4 and 7, at the New York City Public Library in Dec. 2019. They were captivated, and they lingered on each page to explore the illustrations. We read it again as soon as we finished. I loved it so much that I still remember the details a year and a half later."If You Decide to Go to the Moon" combines whimsy (a kid goes to the moon by himself, with his homemade rocket, his pet dog, and some supplies he packs from his house) with realism (the moon is rendered in stark detail; the boredom of space travel is confronted honestly, and the heart-swelling moment of looking back at the Earth is captured perfectly). Steven Kellogg's illustrations, as always, are breathtaking in their intricacy and imaginativeness.Other commenters have said that they thought it was odd that the book veered into talking into Earth at the end - how precious our home planet is, and how incredibly rare and worth of protection. I don't think that's odd at all. Many, probably most, astronauts share this sentiment as their dominant epiphany from their time in space. Earth's biodiversity and human diversity are depicted in ebullient detail in the final pages, which made me want to cheer and cry at the same time. My kids had fun finding all their favorite animals on the biodiversity page while I was surreptitiously wiping a tear from my cheek. (I'm an ecologist, so I care about this stuff a lot, and I'm glad that my kids are absorbing these ideas at a young age.)The only thing that slightly bothered me was that it's the boy who goes to the moon alone, while his sister helps him pack and waves goodbye - playing into the stereotype of "boys go out and have adventures, while girls are helpers who take care of things at home." Perhaps one shouldn't read too much into this. I think it would have been better, though, if the boy and the girl had both blasted off for the Moon. Astronauts never travel alone, and a diverse crew with many perspectives and abilities is essential for a successful mission!As other reviewers have said, the "3-5 years" age range is not really accurate. I think 3 would be a bit too young, unless the 3-year-old has an unusually long attention span. And my second grader liked it and learned from it, even though she was onto chapter books by then. It would be a great book to provoke discussion in a grade school classroom. I highly recommend it.

Great book. Saw at Kennedy space center for a higher price.

Bought this book for my 6 year old niece who is very interested in space and astronauts. This is a story about a boy who decides he wants to go to the moon. The story tells his journey and adventures he has. The illustrations are colorful and detailed. The print is moderate size in print and easy to read. The nice part of this book is it is a childs picture book but the author has weaved real facts into the story. The child learns how long it takes to get to the moon and all the things needed to travel there. At the end it has a great surprise of a fold out panorama picture of the earth and how great it is. This is a great story to help kids learn about astronauts and the moon. A great educational and fun book for lower elementary children.

I like that this book not only describes the moon and what you'll need to travel there, but also everything that's waiting on Earth when you return. My 3 1/2 year old grandson loves this book and likes to talk about what he learned about the moon. He is a little confused about the lava that once covered the moon and thinks it is still hot there. We are working on understanding that that was a long time ago and no longer the case. He especially likes the ending when the boy returns to Earth. He sees himself and pets there, and calls them by name.

I read a previous one star review and decided to check the book out from the library before purchasing. I concur there was a spelling error and after checking out the definition of meteor, found the one star reviewer was correct.HOWEVER, the errors seemed minor compared to what really stood out in a positive way: the author's description of what an astronaut actually thinks and FEELS!My 6 1/2 year old granddaughter loved the story and asked me to buy her one, which I have. I really enjoyed the story, too. I felt it told of the journey to the moon from a very human point of view, maybe even from a child's point of view - something we still are deep inside.You can point out the errors, but what I think readers will take away from this book is a sense of personal connection to space flight and astronomy.

I bought this as a gift for my niece who is apparently into all things science, just for reference, she's turning 5. I had read an encouraging article about this being a great book for prepping kids to be Geeks. and i couldn't resist after i took a quick peek at it at the national air and space museum. After having ordered it for christmas, i Looked through more closely, and am seriously considering getting it for my son (about to be 4.) It is beautifully illustrated (as my husband and i went through art school, thats saying something!) The information is presented wonderfully and had a few fold out pages!Its a wonderful book for any little explorer in your life!

My son has loved space for years. I ordered this for him a LONG time ago and he still loves this book. We have kept it through a couple of rounds of donation clean-outs. He takes extra special care of this book because he loves it so much. The pictures are wonderful, the idea of it is fantastic and it is simply an inspiring story. It makes him think of possibilities. A favorite bedtime read.

It was used and a little worn. Pretty good book and the picture are nice.

This is a nice book which is written like a guide to travelling to the moon. I’ve been using it to introduce the discussion of STEM in school with younger children.

My son is so keen on space science, planets, moon and etc. He found the book so interesting and loved it. He read it many times

Great story. Lovely quality of book. Nephew love it.

Nice book, good value for money, good quality

Perfect for young children interested in science.