The Girl Who Drank the Moon: a rhyming picture book

When Callie and her teddy bear invited the moon in for a tea party, they had no idea how much fun they would have…and what a catastrophe they would cause. What on Earth can you do after you’ve drunk the moon all up? This tale of friendship and generosity is a fun read-aloud, and the cheery and playful illustrations draw you in with a secret star hidden on every page. Some book sites suggest that this kind of story is best classified as a fairy tale, I prefer contemporary realistic fiction. It could happen. Kids have great imaginations. Who knows what they will imagine when they play? This book would make a good bedtime story for girls or boys. Callie is a little girl. She has a teddy bear. She and her bear befriend the moon. There is self-sacrifice on both sides, so they have a reciprocal friendship. Also, the last picture in the book is of Callie sleeping, snuggling her bear, under the warm, golden light of the shining moon. That is bedtime gold! On the educational side (educational fiction?), it involves social skills, nature and the outdoors, and how things work. Because it is a picture book, it falls into the early learning category, but I think it’s a universal tale that is good for kids and adults alike. Although I may have learned it in school, until I researched near-Earth astronomy for this book, I couldn’t explain why the moon goes through its phases, waxing, and waning. I’ve put a helpful graphic and layman’s-terms explainer at the end of this book–it’s for parents in case of pop quizzes of the why is the sky blue variety. The funny misunderstandings of this monthly rhythm are not limited to the young. It is the egocentrism of youth, though, that puts Callie in the central role of causing the moon to shrink and disappear.