For the older children, science lessons could be designed around studying the properties of matter (when the moon is solid and liquid) and the phases of the moon shown at the end of the book. Granny’s solution for getting the rabbits back to their home on the moon also involves shimmering lights and wondrous, sparkling orbs that shine against the cloudy, starless night sky. The first six pages pull readers into a lush, beautiful world of nighttime: “When the sun has set, silence falls over the Big Forest, and all of the nighttime animals wake up. A strange and delightful tale made for lingering over—and perfect for reading with your own moon pop .

All is finally quiet, until two rabbits come knocking at the door—they have come from the moon, which has melted away. I loved Doerr’s earlier novel, All the Light We Cannot See, but had not gravitated to this one – until now.Further detracting from the story, the text becomes ever denser and more complex over the book’s short span. Alterations is like the century egg Kevin eats: On the outside, it looks like a story about middle school drama, but once you bite in, you realize the family dynamics are the umami flavor you can’t ignore. In fact, after reading it, I went to H Mart in Cambridge so I could walk around and inhabit the book’s setting for a little bit.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Read the note at the very beginning of the book (which could also start a good discussion with kids before reading) to make sense of the ending. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Instead of directly linking her behavior to understandable reactions of children to newness, the text undermines itself by making Lucy’s parents’ sweet reassurances impotent and using the grandmother’s scientific explanation of moonlight as an unnecessary metaphor.The story of a hot night, a melting moon, and an ingenious way to cool down, it’s the perfect summer story.

The intelligence of Granny and her willingness to share and help make for an unusual folktale of community both nearby and far. On a simmering summer night, everyone in the apartment complex is doing everything they can to cool down. Dreamy illustrations are crafted from dioramas and cut-paper charcoal drawings, with a softly glowing candle-flame–colored moon and friends and neighbors who are a variety of creatures but all wearing summery human pajamas. is the only resident to have noticed the moon dripping away to nothing, and she races outside to catch the drops to mix up a frozen treat: the titular moon pops, which are icy and sweet, melt away the heat. But when 2 rabbits arrive because they lost their home, Granny needs to figure out how to help them.The image of the tenants enjoying their moon pops, which also adorns the book’s cover, shows the creatures gazing incredulously at their gleaming treats in the dark of night, their faces illuminated by their moon pops’ light.

After working in advertising and multimedia for children, she began to create her own picture books when her daughter was born. One of the grannies struggling with the heat decides to make ice pops out of the melting moon, but while that does keep everyone cool, it leaves the rabbits from the moon homeless. And this summer, I read Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, which might be one of the best books I’ve read in a long time!

This means that you are getting something that can feel a bit “sophisticated” and maybe a smidgen “talking down” to the younger reader.