Illustration od moon phases above an open book.

Reading the Moon

A family-friendly reading list

Published05/01/2019 , by Andria Waclawski

Throughout history the moon has inspired people of all ages the world over. Bell Museum visitors will have a chance to share that inspiration and enjoy our Museum of the Moon exhibit May 21-June 9. We will host regular moon tours, family-friendly storytime readings, and a variety of lunar-inspired programs to celebrate this special installation.

Explore a collection of moon-related reading curated by Lisa Von Drasek, curator of the U of M Libraries Children’s Literature Research Collection, including the books we will read at our special story times in front of Museum of the Moon.

Join us Tuesday-Friday, May 21-June 7, at 10:30am.

Young girl approaches Museum of the Moon installation

Read-Alouds for Storytime

Cover art for Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back

Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back: A Native American Year of Moons
by Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London, illustrated by Thomas Locker
Random House Penguin, 1992

Ages 5 and up

The stories of the Abenaki, Northern Cheyenne, Potawatomi, Anishinabe, Cree, Huron, Seneca, Pomo, Menominee, Micmac, Cherokee, Winnebago, Lakota Sioux, are tied together in poems from the moon’s point-of-view.

Cover art for Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten’s First Full Moon
Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow Books, 2004

Ages 3 and up

It is Kitten’s first full moon, and when she sees it, she thinks it is a bowl of milk in the sky. And she wants it. Does she get it? In this Caldecott Medal–winning book, Kevin Henkes introduces a wonderful new character and an adventure just right for young readers.

Cover art for Moonday

Moonday
Written and illustrated by Adam Rex
Disney-Hyperion Books, 2013

Ages 5 and up

What do you do when the moon lowers itself into your backyard? When mornings are replaced by perpetual night, and people sigh-sleep in their eyes. What do you do when the tide comes in, and all the neighborhood dogs won’t stop howling? You take the moon for a ride.

Adam Rex creates a fantastic tale that is both imaginative and beautiful; one that blurs the line between dreams and reality.

Cover art for Owl Moon

Owl Moon
Written by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by John Shoenherr
Philomel Books, 1987

Ages 5 and up

A young girl and her father take a nighttime stroll near the farm where they live to look for owls. It is a beautiful night, a moonlit winter night.

As they hike, hidden in ink-blue shadows, a fox, a raccoon, a field mouse and a deer watch them pass.

Cover art for Max and the Tag-along Moon

Max and the Tag-Along Moon
written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Philomel Books, 2013

Ages 5 and up

When Max has to say good-bye to his grandpa, he is reminded that as long as the moon is in the sky it will watch over both of them no matter where they are.

Cover art for The Day the Universe Exploded My Head

The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems to Take You into Space and Back Again
Written by Allan Wolf illustrated by Anna Raff
Candlewick 2019

Entertaining poems that mix factual information with personification of the planets in a delightfully illustrated format.

Informational Books

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13
Written by Helaine Becker; illustrated by Dow Phumiruk
Henry Holt and Company, 2018
Ages 5 and up

A picture book biography recounting the early life and accomplishments of mathematician profiled in Hidden Figures

The Moon Book
Written and illustrated Gail Gibbons, Holiday House, 2019
Ages 5 and up

Using her signature combination of colorful, clear illustrations and accessible text, Gibbons provides factual information with simple explanations of astronomical lunar facts.

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
written and illustrated by Brian Floca,
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009
Ages 5 and up

Here is the story of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon — a story of leaving and returning during the summer of 1969, and a story of home, seen whole, from far away by the astronauts.

To the moon and back : my Apollo 11 adventure: a pop-up book
Written by Buzz Aldrin and Marianne Dyson, illustrated by Bruce Foster
National Geographic 2018
Ages 6 and up

A first-person account of Apollo 11 Mission published for the 50th Anniversary in a pop-up format.

Faces of the moon
by Bob Crelin, illustrated by Leslie Evans
Charlesbridge, 2009
Ages 5 and up

Rhyming text, graphic illustrations with die-cut pages explain the phases of the moon. “The Moon’s first phase, we call it NEW-“/when Moon’s between the Sun and you./Her sunlit side is turned away,/and we can’t see her, night or day”

The Moon
by Martha E. H. Rustad
Capstone Press 2016
Ages 5 and up

Moon facts described in simple text and clean photographs in this early science book.

Reference Books

Our moon: new discoveries about Earth’s closest companion
by Elaine Scotte, Clarion/HMH 2016
Ages 10 and up.

Beautifully designed and richly illustrated guide to the history of the study of the moon to the newest theories on how the moon formed, the discovery of water on its surface and the possibility of future moon colonies.

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon
by Catherine Thimesh
Houghton Mifflin, 2006
Ages 9 and up

Narrative non-fiction describes how engineers and scientists collaborated to complete a successful mission to the moon. Interviews, archival photos and oral histories support this ambitious effort.

First on the Moon: The Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Experience
by written by Rod Pyle, Forward by Buzz Aldrin, Sterling 2019
Ages 12 and up

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking Apollo 11 mission, this lavishly illustrated book–featuring stunning photographs and many rarely seen images and documents–tells the incredible story of the first men on the Moon.

Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope – and How to Find Them (5th Edition)
by Guy Consolmagno, Dan M. Davis, Sterling 2019
Ages 9 and up

This unique guidebook to the night sky shows you how to observe a host of celestial wonders. Its distinct format of object-by-object spreads illustrates how deep-sky objects and planets actually look through a small telescope, while its large pages and spiral binding allow for use outside.

National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky (2nd Edition)
by Andrew Fazekas and Howard Schneider, National Geographic, 2019
Ages 8 and up

An expert but easygoing approach that will delight would-be astronomers of all levels. Essential information, organized logically, brings the solar system, stars, and planets to life in your own backyard.

Spaceflight, 2nd Edition: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Curiosity
by Giles Sparrow and Buzz Aldrin DK/ Smithsonian 2019

Destination: Moon
Harper, May 7, 2019
by Seymour Simon