Customer Reviews

How the Moon Regained Her Shape

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the story about having confidence in who you are, about pride and loving friends. The story begins as the moon is dancing across the sky; she is round and full, filled with gentle light. The angry sun yells at her and calls her names. The moon takes the sun's angry words to heart and she becomes depressed. A comet friend comes along and offers a helping hand. He takes her to a Native American woman Round Arms, who explains about bad tempers and bullies. Round Arms takes the moon to visit many people who love and miss her. The artist needs her dreamlike light while painting the forest. The rabbits miss her moonbeams, making it safe for them to romp and play at night. As the moon hears all of these positive, loving words from friends who love her, she begins to laugh and grow larger. Regaining her self-confidence and her pride she understands that she should not let a bullies angry words hurt her or keep her from her friends.

The "For Creative Minds" section in the back of this book was vetted for scientific accuracy by Dr. Wesley Swift, Jr., Director of the Von Braun Observatory.
Moon Observations & Fun Facts is part of this educational section. Native American names for full moons as well as moon projects, a lunar calendar, a recipe for moon cookies are just a few of the fun things you can enjoy with your child. A graph that helps you understand the moon is fun and informative.

"How the Moon Regained her Shape" is a charming tale about the moon, bullies, and finding your true worth.

The moon was a happy, dancing creature. Until the day she crossed paths with the sun: "The earth darkened, and the sun spoke angrily to the moon. 'You ugly scarecrow! People on earth need me to grow their crops. But no one needs you. Get out of my way!'" The moon, dejected, retreats to the earth, unable to continue her dancing.

Fortunately, a comet sees the moon and decides to intervene. He takes her to a woman named Round Arms who feeds the moon mint and ginger tea (my favorite!) and tells her the sun is often bad-tempered. Then she introduces the moon to people who love her--the artist, the rabbits, who use the moon's light to know it's safe outside, singers and dancers. Soon the moon understands she's important too and returns to the sky.

"How the Moon Regained her Shape" is based on a Native American folktale and Hodson's illustrations fit the text. Inspired by Native American art, the paintings are rich and stylized. Each illustration looks like a moment frozen in time. At the end of the story a five-page "For Creative Minds" section is appended, including facts about the moon, projects (like "edible moon cookies"), a phases of the moon chart, and a note on bullies.

"How the Moon Regained her Shape" is perfect for the four-to eight-year-old audience and would work especially well with school and library units on either the moon or bullies.

Author Janet Ruth Heller and illustrator Ben Hodson have created an exquisite teaching tool in the children's book How the Moon Regained Her Shape. Part astronomy lesson, part history lesson, part fable, this Native American folktale personifies the Moon as a victim of bullying by the Sun. As the Moon progresses through her monthly phases, she walks a path of self discovery and builds self confidence so that she may shine brightly once more.

At the end of the story, there are pages explaining moon cycles in depth and venturing further into Native American folklore. There are also activities to enhance the reader's understanding of moon phases. The information and activities are available for download at the publisher's website, which also contains links to various websites related to the story that can be very useful for educators. Children will enjoy the illustrations and engaging story while parents and teachers will appreciate the learning opportunities provided.

I would have to say that this is a tale for all ages. My five-year-old and eight-year-old both loved the story and plan to read it again and again. I found myself gazing at the beautiful artwork as I read it aloud. The pictures and the story complement each other perfectly, fully conveying the personalities and emotions of the characters. The publisher's website provides an incredible amount of resources and teaching tools beneficial to home schoolers and teachers. The book creators and publisher have produced an invaluable instrument in children's education.

How the Moon Regained Her Shape by Janet Ruth Heller and Illustrated by Ben Hodson has much to offer the young reader, and indeed, any adult reading the book with the child. While it does have a strong message, which becomes quite obvious rather soon in the book, there are many little lesson packed into very few pages. This work has won multiple awards and just one reading will allow the reader to know why.

This is the story of the moon, a rather happy young lady that enjoyed dancing across the sky, laughing and twirling her skirts as she took pride in the gentle and soothing light she brought. As is so often the case, she runs into a situation that more or less shakes up and alters her world. The Sun, who in this little story is a rather nasty creature who seems quite unhappy with happy people, or in this case, celestial beings, feels the need to put her down. This is often the case with bullies, as you have probably noted in your own life. He insults the happy moon and points out her shortcomings and his superiority. This causes our happy moon to start doubting herself and, indeed, her entire self worth. We also learn that once we know our worth, even further insults, while they may hurt and cause us some anguish, can quickly be overcome by just remembering who we are and what place we hold in the world.

The author has used a folk tale mode to tell this story. She has drawn from the method of the Native American; to tell a story, using nature, to make a point. The story has certainly been influenced by this method of telling a story, but nowhere do I find that the author or artist has tried to pass it off as an authentic Native American Folk Tale. They have merely used a conveyance that has long been in use, a good example being Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whom I doubt seriously would attempt to pass his The Song of Hiawatha as a "genuine" Native American Folk Tale or pass off The Saga of King Olaf as truly Norse. This method is a literary tool and should be taken as such.

All that being said, this is a wonderful work. As one reviewer has pointed out, it is a lesson in astronomy, a touch of history, wonderful new fable, and like all good fables, teaches us lessons. In this work, we find that we cannot let bullies rule our lives; that we all have our strong points and all contribute greatly to the world and, indeed, universe around us. We may not see or be aware of the impact of our lives on others, but nevertheless we do have an impact and we all need to be aware of it. There is, beyond a doubt, a strong feminist message in this work, something I find refreshing as it is not overbearing with the message, but rather gently and practical.

The written text is extremely readable and is ideal for a group read. This simply written text, along with the wonderful short course in astronomy found in the back of the book, which covers information about the moon and its phases, gives the parent and teacher absolute hours of material to discuss with their child; more about this later.

The text is only half the charm of this particular work though. Ben Hodson has done a wonderful job, using a Southwestern Native American motif. While certainly not absolutely authentic, it does convey the feeling and mood in rather interesting color combinations that are absolutely eye catching.

I "kid tested" this work on three different classes of second grade students and it was a hit. In fact, I was asked for second readings by two of the classes. They loved the story and loved the pictures. You cannot get a better endorsement for a children's book than this.

The book ends with five page mini-lesson on the mood and phases of the moon. This little lesson is for adults and is written as such. The author has given us some nice projects and food for thought for the children.

All in all, the concept of this book is great. Kids love it and it is fun to read with them. The art work is of the highest quality. I hardly see how you could go wrong with this one.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Did you know that through the years, people have often used folklore to understand natural events? Modern children's books can be influenced by these folktales too. One day the sun bullies the moon. The moon feels very bad and shrinks until she is a sliver of her former self and becomes nearly invisible. However, with the help of a comet and a big woman named Round Arms, and with the encouragement of several friends, such as Painted Deer, a mother rabbit, and one hundred women dancing, the moon returns to the sky. Now, whenever she dwindles, she remembers her friends and regains her fullness.
In the tradition of Native American folklore, author Janet Ruth Heller, a professor at Western Michigan University, provides a fascinating story that not only can form the basis for studying the phases of the moon but also teaches an important lesson on how to handle bullying. It is nicely illustrated with Native American type drawings by Ben Hodson. Sylvan Dell always has a "For Creative Minds" section in the back of each book, and How the Moon Regained Her Shape contains three pages of "Moon Observations" including Native American names for each of the year's full moons, plus one page on "How to Deal with Bullies." In addition, there are even more online resources and activities related to the book at Sylvan Dell's website. The book is both fun and educational.

This is a wonderful story that teaches children to find their value and beauty and not to let others put them down.

The artwork is amazing in this book. It's truly "art".

If you have children this is a MUST HAVE book. I think this would be great to have in a classroom library too.

How The Moon Regained Her Shape by Janet Ruth Heller, Illustrated by Ben Hodson is a simple imaginary tale which in story form explains to children about the phases of the moon. The illustrations reflect the Pacific Northwest First People's culture and also the Native Americans of the Southwest. The book wond Children's Choices award from the International Reading Association and the Childdren's Book Council. The section at the end of the book for Creative Minds is an excellent and more scientific explanation of the moon, as a guide for teachers and other adults. I learned so much from reading this simple children's book, and you will too! A GREAT gift for any family!

This children's book is a tender telling of a myth that explains why the moon changes shape throughout the month, set with Native American Indians in rich illustrations of the American southwest. The story is sensitive and thoughtful, and I appreciated its focus on women: not only the personification of the moon as a woman, but also the way that women are integral to the arc of the story. After the sun has scared the moon into believing that people don't need her, the moon seeks help from an independent woman. Helpful men play roles, as well, but the final scenes of the story are of women dancing in a ring, celebrating the moon and her importance to their lives. This myth was engaging to my two toddler nephews, who demanded several reads in a row; they also delighted in the colorful pictures of a animated, angry sun, the helpful comet and the many superb details of desert rocks and plants. I appreciated the science section at the back of the book, which details the astronomical explanation of the phases of the moon, but I don't think that children old enough to understand the science would be as interested in the story as younger readers.
Joel A. Nichols for TCM Reviews.

Reviewed by Stephanie and Parish (age 3) Rollins for Reader Views (4/07)


"How the Moon Regained Her Shape" is about the moon losing its size, because the sun ridiculed the moon. The moon losing its size is an example of how people lose their confidence when people use words that hurt.

A comet directs the moon to a woman named Round Arms to show the moon his worth. Round arms takes him on a journey to hear what others think of him. He then realizes his worth. The words of others build him up after the words of the sun tore him down.

"How the Moon Regained Her Shape" tells a wonderful, relevant story of the strength of words to both hurt and heal. Children so often do not understand the power they have when they communicate with others. This book does a great job of explaining that.

The illustrations are Native Indian-like. Of course, Round Arms is a Native Indian name. Though the illustrations do accurately portray the story, the illustrations are not attractive to children.

Parish did not want to read this book, but she wanted ice-cream; we made a deal.

"Did you like this book?"
"Hmmmm..." She puts her finger to her mouth in the contemplating manner.
"No."

"Why not?"
"I don't know."

"Do you like the pictures?"
"No."

"Do you want to keep this book or give it away?"
"Give it away."

We all know that children can be cruel to other children. "How the Moon Regained Her Shape" explains well to children how both hurtful and helpful words can be. The words are appropriate for beginning readers. Though the pictures are not attractive, parents will find "How the Moon Regained Her Shape" to be a wonderful story to share with their children.

Book received free of charge.

With its stunning artwork and gentle words based on Native American folklore, How the Moon Regained Her Shape tells the story of the moon, and how she unwittingly angered the sun by dancing across his path. The sun's angry words upset the moon so badly that she ceases to travel her skypath.

With the help of her friend the comet, and several other richly illustrated characters, the moon learns how important and loved she truly is. The moon slowly regains her self-confidence, and learns a valuable lesson in dealing with bullies.

The phases of the moon are charted in the corner of each page, while at the back of the book is a section entitled "Creative Minds." Here you will find a variety of fun and educational activities including a chance to make a moon cycle circle, or to explore the Native American tribal names for each month's full moon.

Armchair Interviews says: How the Moon Regained Her Shape is a lyrical and uplifting story to be shared with your 6 to 10 year old.