The day the Moon came to stay by Gary Eck. Illus. by Nick O'Sullivan

Billy looks out of his round window and notices the Moon looks sad. He makes a paper plane letter and throws it into the sky, offering help and a place to stay. That night, Moon is on his doorstep, surprising Billy’s Mum and Dad. But they chip in and make Moon a tremendous breakfast using every plate in the house it seems. Moon tells Billy that he will need to return to the sky as the sun sets. They go off to have fun and Billy wants to make Moon smile. At the beach, the waves seem to be never-ending, so they go to the playground. Here he sits on the seesaw and the pair is surrounded by all the neighbourhood dogs, howling for all they are worth. But when a rocket lands and two astronauts climb onto Moon and plant flags, causing Moon to shout out in pain, they move on to the country. Here all the cows jump over Moon, saying Moo as they do so. Moon is a bit put out, telling them his name is Moon. But Billy notices the sun is about to set, and they go back home. Here, Moon tells Billy that he does not want to go back to his place in the sky, because everyone on Earth seems so happy. Billy tells him all the things that Earth relies on him doing, telling him that Earth will be topsy-turvey, just like their night together has been, if he is not in his place. He returns to his place in the sky and Billy is thrilled to receive a letter from Moon, thanking him for being his friend.

This disarming story of friendship will captivate younger readers as they follow Moon’s attempts to be happy and Billy’s role as his friend. Moon and Billy’s travels will cause laughter as readers recognise the places Moon has in society, in nursery rhymes and in space exploration. The fun in the text will lead to discussions about how the moon affects tides and time. And ideas and research about space exploration will be shared.

Wonderful illustrations by Nick O’Sullivan will captivate the readers as they look at all the funny situations Moon finds himself in: Moon on the top bunk, Moon on a seesaw, Moon eating breakfast with the family. 

I love all the idiotic normality of Moon being with Billy, displayed both in the text and on the pages full of eye boggling images. Author, Gary Eck is a comedian, while Nick O’Sullivan is an animator, having worked on Happy Feet. Two special minds working together have created a memorable book, one that will be shared and talked about by kids with their parents, or kids in classes or in libraries with a teacher librarian.

Teaching notes can be found here.

Themes: Moon, Space, Friendship.

Fran Knight