Moon's First Friends

Age range 3 to 9

A heartwarming story of a friendship-seeking moon that also commemorates the extraordinary 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission!

From high up in the sky, the Moon has spent her whole life with the watchful eye of a parent focusing on the happenings of Earth below. Dinosaurs roam, pyramids are built, boats are made, and planes take flight, but she remains a lonely little orb floating out in space alone. Until one day a spaceship soars...
More Description

Age range 3 to 9

A heartwarming story of a friendship-seeking moon that also commemorates the extraordinary 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission!

From high up in the sky, the Moon has spent her whole life with the watchful eye of a parent focusing on the happenings of Earth below. Dinosaurs roam, pyramids are built, boats are made, and planes take flight, but she remains a lonely little orb floating out in space alone. Until one day a spaceship soars from Earth...and so does her heart.

Teachers' notes available here

'This cheerful title introduces a rosy-cheeked, eye-lashed 'Queen of the Night Sky,' lonely after 4.5 billion years of silvery bright solitude. Elisa Paganelli's textured digital artwork extends the winsome story with a cozy version of space, a soothing, star-speckled blue rather than bottomless black, and watched over by the eager, anthropomorphized "queen," who cheers as the Eagle lands right between her eyes.' --The New York Times Book Review

'This is a story for young readers. It anthropomorphizes the moon, making her a character in the tale of the lunar landing. It's remarkably sweet, and kids ages 2 to 5 will love it.'-- Romper

'A cute story [that] manages to deliver some facts (including how solar eclipses work!) seamlessly within the narrative. -- Panetary.org

'This playful book helps youngsters connect with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch this month. In the tale, the anthropomorphized moon watches humans from afar and eagerly notes as they invent the first airplane, build rockets and prepare to take the first tentative steps on her surface. Through text and informative back matter, young readers learn fascinating facts about the moon, astronauts and the space program.' -- Washington Parent

'For the littlest sky-watcher The Moon's First Friends by Susanna Leonard Hill, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, gives the orb a certain friendliness. Through the centuries, as this tale goes, the moon observed everything that happened on Earth, occasionally razzle-dazzling humans until finally, she had visitors! This is a cute story and, for curious 3-to-5-year-olds, there's a nice afterword you can read, too.' -- Bookworm Sez