How to Be on the Moon; Viviane Schwarz

Readers were first introduced to Anna and Crocodile in ‘How to Find Gold’. Now the two best friends are back and this time they are heading into space…

Anna is very keen to go to the moon. But Crocodile knows that the moon is impossibly far away and it is dark and it is lonely. Anna responds with a … “I like that.  Let’s go!” And so begins an adventure to the moon. Anna is the creative one so she takes responsibility for building the rocket. Crocodile is practical and logical - making sure that they have the special skills required to get to the moon; the math knowledge, enough sandwiches to eat on the way and have the patience (the moon is a very long way away). Along the way they have lots of fun including trying to play cards and eat sandwiches which is a lot harder than it sounds when gravity doesn’t work as it does on earth.

Yes, Anna and Crocodile safely make it to the moon and return back to earth again but this book is about more than that. How to Be on the Moon is a tale of friendship and adventure and perfect for little explorers who dream of big adventures of their own. Anna and Crocodile epitomise teamwork and through their actions the reader learns about being brave, the importance of patience and that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. It is great to see a young girl represented as the one who is capable of building a rocket. The plot is simple and is full of imagination and adventure. The vivid illustrations bring the story to life, particularly the double page spreads of the exploration of the moon.

You are never quite sure whether the adventure is real or not - I guess this is the joyous power of imagination.  Imagination can take you anywhere…

Recommended for 5+.