Moon Plane

This is one of my new favorite read-aloud bedtime books. It is short, calming, has compelling illustrations, and at the end of the book the boy goes to bed. All of these make for a nice story to share before a toddler or preschooler goes to bed.

My three-year old also identifies with the boy in the story. He points to the picture of the boy and says that it is him. That makes it extra sweet to share.

A young boy sees a plane overhead and imagines himself in it, traveling all the way to the moon. What does he see on his way? With characteristically spare prose, Peter McCarty invites readers along for an imaginary trip from the earth to the moon and back again, visiting trains, planes, and boats along the way. McCarty’s luminous illustrations make the boy’s fantasy into a dreamlike journey that ends in his mother’s arms—a perfect way to end the day.

This is a sweet and simple bedtime book for a young child who loves space and wants to be an astronaut. It begins with a young boy thinking about a plane that he sees flying above him. He imagines himself flying that plane to the moon, getting out of the plane and taking a few steps, and finally coming back home to hug his mother and go to sleep.
Uses: while I don't think I would use this in the classroom, it is a charming bedtime book!
Medium: pencil and watercolor

A small boy sees a plane in the sky and imagines himself having fun flying all the way to the moon. But he’ll need to be home in time for his mother to tuck him into bed!

Join the adventurous boy who dares to fly his plane to the moon! The pencil-on-watercolor-paper illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the simple narrative that both parents and young readers are sure to find appealing.

Highly recommended.

I know it's a children's book, but I prefer there to at least be some factual basis for things that should have it. Totally fictional books, such as The Search for the Zipper-Rump-A-Zoo, I'm quite ok with. But something like this should have at least some factual basis. I felt like I had to explain to my daughter that no, planes can't really go up to the moon and that even if they could, they couldn't survive re-entry, and all that sort of thing.

However, that being said, it was a quick read, my daughter enjoyed it, and it does certainly fire the imagination about the moon and things like that.

A decent book, all in all.

A boy sees a play flying above him. He imagines the places he would go if he were in the plane. He wants to fly to the moon, even. But then he would really like to make it home for dinner to see his mom.

A very simple text. The pictures are great, especially of the moon. A nice text for studying astronomy but kind of simple for second grade. The sentences are not complete, either, so not the best example for a language arts lesson.

The author and illustrator effectively uses monochromatic pencil-on-watercolor drawings to create a soft, dreamy effect. The simple language soothingly lulls the young reader into the imagination and dreams of the little boy portrayed in the book.