Timothy R. Gaffney

I liked reading this book for the following reasons. First, the characters in the book are very believable. A grandpa is telling his grandson a bed time story about how he went to the moon. The young boy is so excited to hear this story and looks up to his grandpa as a hero for being an astronaut. I feel that most children look up to their grandparents so this young boy is a believable character.

Second, the language is descriptive and uses imagery. I think that this quote helps the reader show more imagine what is happening in the story, "The sun is hot. A steady breeze blows off the ocean, and we can smell the salt in the air." Even though there are vivid pictures in this book this language helps the reader think about what it smells like and actually felt like.

Third, the first person point of view enhances the main character of the book. Even though the grandpa is telling a bed time story the book follows the young boys own imagination of what it would be like if he was there with his grandpa. The boys curiosity and excitement that he expresses by asking his grandpa questions about his footprints on the moon and the flag that was put there, helps to add to the story. If this wasn't told from the boys point of view I don't think it would have been as interesting.

The message from this book is that you can be anything you want. At the very end of the story the boy asks his grandpa if he can be an astronaut one day and his grandpa replies with, " Why sure, if you like. Then you'll have a story to tell your grandchildren." I think that this quote helps the reader to feel like anything is possible if you put you mind to it. show less

This read had a nice history of the Wright Brothers told through the eyes of a little reporter mouse that catches a ride on their historic flight. Wee witnesses great adventure as he gets the opportunity to fly on the first airplane flight. The author did a great job detailing the illustrations as well. They were extremely colorful

This book is about a little boy whose grandfather went to space. The grandpa often retells the story of walking on the moon to his grandson and makes it feel like they are both reliving the adventure together. At the end, the grandson asks if he can go to space one day. The grandfather encourages him by saying yes so he can tell his grandchildren about his own space adventures one day. I would say this book is for intermediate since the words might be hard for primary children to read by show more themselves. show less

Age Appropriateness: Primary
Genre: Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Informational
Media: Acrylic
Review: This is the story of a young boy and h is grandpa telling him stories about when he went to the moon. The boy fantasizes about going to the moon with his grandpa and having many adventures on the moon. I think this book has elements of both fantasy and realistic fiction because while he is fantasizing about going to the moon, it would be possible to go to the moon because people have done it show more before and even in the story the grandpa was an astronaut. This book also has some facts about space exploration in the beginning, so it is also informational. show less