The Moon over Star by Dianna Hutts Aston

Aston, Dianna H. (2008). The Moon over Star. NY, NY: Dial ISBN 978803731073

Author:  Dianna Hutts Aston

Author Website:  No author website

Illustrator:  Jerry Pinkney

Illustrator Website:  www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/

Publisher:  Dial

Year of Publication:  2008

ISBN:  978803731073

Annotation:  In summer 1969 Mae lives in the farming town of Star and is engrossed with the moon walk.  She shares her dreams of moon travel with her grandfather who also becomes encouraged by his granddaughter’s hopes and dreams.

Personal Reaction:  The moonwalk was one of those seminal events where everyone knows where they were.  This sweet book makes you not only remember but recall the feeling of tense anticipation, relief and the coming hope.  I love the depiction of the grandfather being transformed not only by the actual event but his granddaughter unqualified feelings of hope for the future.

Illustration:  The rich and vibrant colors give the reader a sense of warmth and reality.  His watercolor paintings help to interpret the storyline and create a sense of realism for the reader.  He is able to convey the characters feelings with depth and sensitivity.  I especially liked the picture of the children reenacting the spaceship liftoff and their expressions from closed eyes to also looking upward to be able to imagine what the liftoff feels like.

Use of Media:  Watercolor painting, pencil, colored pencils, and watercolor

Use of literature device: Alliteration  “The rumble, the roar and the force.”