The Moon Might Be Milk [Hardcover]

Lisa Shulman (Author), Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Rosie wonders: What is the moon made of? Cat thinks the moon is a saucer of fresh milk, spilled from the sky into puddles on the ground. Dog thinks it’s a pat of sweet, creamy butter. Butterfly thinks it’s made of sugar: sticky and sparkling and oh, so sweet. But Gran knows best. Using milk, butter, sugar, and other ingredients, she shows Rosie how to bake moonshaped cookies and captures a magical piece of the moon in her very own kitchen.

This classic-in-the-making from Gran’s hearth is sure to inspire family baking and sharing. Sugar cookie recipe included.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K—As Rosie watches the full moon sink in the sky, she ponders what it is made of. Cat thinks it is a saucer of milk, but Hen says it's an egg from which chicks hatch to become the stars. Butterfly says it's made of sugar; Dog thinks it's a round pat of butter; and Mouse believes it is made of white flour, which makes clouds when the wind blows. Finally, Gran settles the matter by mixing a batch of moon-shaped cookies, using all the ingredients mentioned in a satisfying, tasty resolution to this story that has wide appeal. Childlike illustrations in soft patterns and colors complement the delightful whimsy.—Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Awakening before dawn, Rosie looks past the cat on her windowsill to the moon and says, "I wonder what it's made of." Cat replies that the moon is a saucer of milk. Rosie concedes that it might be, but she gets dressed, goes outside, and asks several other animals the same question. Hen thinks that the moon is an egg. Butterfly believes it's made of sugar, Dog says "butter," and Mouse is sure that it's made of flour. Each animal joins Rosie on her quest. Finally, they arrive at Rosie's grandmother's house, where Gran combines milk, egg, sugar, butter, and flour to make moon-shaped sugar cookies, satisfying everyone. The mixed-media artwork features Hillenbrand's strong, distinctive lines that define the characters, colors that range in intensity from brilliant to muted, and a rich array of patterned surfaces that make the settings varied and vivid. Though some of the illustrative elements fade into the background, even the shadows here contribute to the storytelling. The story reads aloud well, and in an open-ended conclusion, Rosie asks a new question for readers to explore on their own. The final page offers a recipe for Gran's Sugar Cookie Moons, for those who want to extend the story into the kitchen. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525476474
• ISBN-13: 978-0525476474
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes awkward language, but my son loves it!, December 9, 2007

By 

Liamsmama - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moon Might Be Milk (Hardcover)

Some of the phrases are awkward and there is a bit of stilted sentence structure... I like my preschoolers books to be well written grammatically and I actually amend a couple sentences when I read it to my 2.5year old... that being said, he loves this book. It's been one of his top requests for the past 2 weeks. The illustrations are simple and colorful, and I do like the cute recipe included... we will be making these cookies soon.

Three Star Update: tried the recipe and it is not very good at all... surprised and disappointed... going to have to use another sugar cookie recipe in place of the one in the book, which is a shame bc part of the fun was reading the illustrated recipe at the end of the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charming, good illustrations and recipe included, March 28, 2007

By 

MaliaMacDiarmid (No.Cal. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Moon Might Be Milk (Hardcover)

Lisa Shulman has come up with another wonderful book to read to your children or students. The illustrations are very good, colorful and suit the story. My children are older now, but they liked the story and my daughter wants to include it in her babysitting fun-box. I liked the fact that I was surprised by the grandmother turning everyone's idea of what the moon was made of into ingredients for a cookie and I especially liked having the recipe at the end. I found myself thinking about my grandmother, she would have loved this book. She always had freshly made cookies for our visits; if she'd had a book like this, she would have incorporated it into our family traditions, calling sugar cookies "moon cookies," pointing to a fingernail moon and asking "who took a bite out of the moon?" This book reminded me how much fun it is to cook with your children--an activity which has the added bonus of eating the end result. The only negative about this book? Now every time I see a full moon I get a craving for cookies.

4.0 out of 5 stars Two boys' review: A nice bedtime story with a bonus recipe, March 2, 2009

By 

Jared Castle (Roseburg, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Moon Might Be Milk (Hardcover)

After a rough streak of mean-spirited picture books we came across this simple treasure, "The Moon Might Be Milk" by Lisa Shulman and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand.

The story follows a little girl named Rosie as she tries to learn what material makes up the moon. Along the way, animals make suggestions (e.g. the cat thinks it is milk, the hen thinks it is an egg). By the book's end, include all of the ingredients necessary to make "Gran's Sugar Cookie Moons," which Rosie and her grandmother enjoy together.

The story's simplicity isn't a negative. In fact, it makes a nice change of pace for my two sons (ages 6 and 4), who love picture books and stranger stories like The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

In summary, this book is a wonderful bedtime story. The recipe at the end of the book is a nice bonus.