Rainbow Reading

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Molly on the Moon Written by Mary Robinette Kowal

Molly, a young girl, and her baby brother and mother are moving to the moon. This imaginative book explores the family's experience living underground in a moon module. Molly can only pack one toy, her little lamb, Lassie. Though it cannot fit in a suitcase, Molly packs the one thing needed to make the most of her lunar adventure-her creativity! It is her everyday pleasure in space. She begins to add to her pretend play by recreating the packing crates into a fun fort and a solar panel cover. She also creates a witch's cape and hat with bright blue fabric and turns some tin cans into a fancy tea set. All is well in her imaginative play world until she discovers her little brother has stolen her lamb. Through a tug of war, Molly wins it back, only to discover her brother is flipping and floating through space which upsets her mom. The story has a sweet ending, where the children learn the important message of sharing, being resourceful and creative, and inviting their imagination to take them out of their world. It is an exciting story, lunar bright with creativity and allure. With soft illustrations that set the tone for Molly's out-of-the-world experience, this book subtly incorporates lunar living through childlike experiences. These lunar lessons are described in detail via the author's note at the end of the story. Highly recommend this book for primary and elementary-age children. It is an excellent text for teachers to teach essential elements of the moon, including gravity, climate, and time in space, among other aeronautical concepts. This galactic book packs cosmic creativity, sure to blast the reader straight to the moon with fun and adventure, igniting the stellar cleverness inside of them!