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Title: How the Moon Regained Her Shape
Author: Janet Ruth Heller
Narrator: Donna German
Format: Unabridged
Length: 4 mins
Language: English
Release date: 11-12-15
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
Genres: Kids, Ages 5-7
Publisher's Summary:
This fascinating story influenced by Native American folktales explains why the moon changes shape and helps children deal with bullies. After the sun insults and bullies her, the moon feels so badly hurt that she shrinks and leaves the sky. The moon turns to a comet and her many friends on Earth to comfort her. Her friends include rabbits and Native Americans. Then she regains her full shape, happiness, and self-esteem. The moon also returns to her orbit.
An educational appendix called "For Creative Minds" gives advice about bullying, scientific information about the moon, and ideas for related crafts, recipes, and games for children.
Members Reviews:
Good book, author is nice too
Great story about bullying. The author, Janet, came and read the book to my daughter's first grade class, and talked to them about bullying. Wonderful lady.
My Granddaughter loves it.
Wonderful teaching book. My Granddaughter loves it. Thank You!
both strongly positive and strongly negative parts to this book
It is rare I have such ambivalence about a book.
First let's discuss what this book is. It is a tender little tale that highlights the power one's words can have to affect the feelings of others. It also advocates taking a balanced look at oneself rather than clinging to only hurtful things said. This is a positive and needed message. The story is charming the pictures are pretty. THe color palate is very soothing, mostly neutrals and blue-greens. Almost all of the pictures are a double page spread, which is important when reading to young(pre-reading) children because it is easier for them look at the two, open and facing pages as one complete thing. I enjoyed how the representations of the phases of the moon in the corners of each picture followed the text of the story.
Now let's get to the important issue of what this book is not. This book is NOT a Native American story which has been passed orally through generations to impart wisdom and culture to the future. I live in a place where Native American culture isn't visible in the general culture, and even I feel a responsibility to point this out to children I share this story with. I'm surprised to read there is such confusion about this point. The character of the moon looks a lot like a kokopelli, which is never an image of a personified moon, and the character of the comet (quite shockingly) has hair that looks as if it belongs in Japanese anime. It is clear to me that the author and illustrator don't even want to try to pass this off as genuine. Yet, I repeatedly read summaries and reviews about this story which appear to think the story is authentic.
TO skip over this important issue is unkind and insensitive, the two antagonistic traits of the Sun in this story. Too ironic.
If the world worked the way I would like it too, I would have any reprintings of this book include extension pages with activities that explore Native Culture just as the book already carries moon extension pages.
A Great Book to Add to Your Collection
This book is a wonderful addition to any library for so many reasons, First, it is a wonderful Native American folktale explaining how the phases of the moon came to be. The round moon happily danced across the sky until one day she danced across the sun and eclipsed it. The sun became angry and belittled her. She shrunk herself and slithered across the sky until there was almost nothing left of her.
