Alaina Reaches for the Moon - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

Encouraging curiosity about the world, nature, and why things happen and providing space for the messy experiments and creative endeavors necessary to find the answers is a fun part of the job for parents and teachers.

This is a story for the child who's ever wonder how certain things (a prism, glass of water, or a crystal) can make a rainbow on their wall when the light is right. As well as those curious about the moon.

Aliana Reaches for the Moon

Author: Laura Roettiger

Illustrator: Ariel Boroff

Publisher: Eifrig Publishing, LLC (2019)

Ages:

Fiction

Themes:

Science, creativity, and STEAM

Synopsis:

Aliana loves observing everything in nature. When she notices how bright the light of the full moon shines into her room, she spends time learning about the moon and experimenting with light. As she prepares for her brother s birthday, she plans a wonderful surprise to be revealed with the next full moon.

Opening Lines:

Aliana lives in the Rocky Mountains, where the night sky holds more stars than you can dream of and the moon shimmers like gold.

The full moon lights up Aliana's whole world.

What I like about this book:

A young Latino girl, who loves to observe and explore the world around her, notices the moons reflections in her room.

Text © Laura Roettiger, 2019. Image © Ariel Boroff, 2019.

Determined to make her younger brother the best birthday present ever, she researches the phases of the moon and conducts experiments,

until she discovers a way to employ her creativity and create a sparkling gift her entire family won't soon forget. One her brother finds magical.

The bright, almost cartoonish illustrations show an encouraging, supportive interracial family and a young girl who loves messy scientific experiments almost as much as she does cooking and artistic endeavors. Overall the book will keep kids in suspense, wondering what Aliana's secret creation is and hopefully encourage them to engage with the wonders of nature and science all around them. Maybe even make a bit of a mess.

Resources:

- try a couple of moon experiments; like a moon phase felt board (https://www.howweelearn.com/moon-activities-for-kids/);

- check out the book's back matter on the phases of the moon; or

- make a rainbow and explore light with these experiments

(https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/how-to-make-rainbows-science-activities-kids/).

This post is part of a series by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.

If you missed it, check out Laura Roettiger's interview this past Monday (here).