“There’s a lot you’ve got to fit in your little green bag. Your pet iguana, tap dancing shoes, and inflatable moose … What else might you need when you’re going to the moon?”
This guide for your trip to the moon lists all the vital items that you will need to ensure a successful adventure to and from the moon. It also explains the effort required to climb before you can fly.
Sasha Beekman has described all of those feelings and attachment to loved things that are so necessary when you set out on a wonderful adventure. Her list of things to pack are exactly what a young explorer will need or believe they will need. Her subtle use of alliteration when describing the safety of returning home, e.g. warm and waiting, definitely dessert and maybe a map … gives the traveller the confidence to leave.
Having created concept art for movies such as “Legend of the Guardian: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” and illustrating “The Sloth Who Came To Stay” (2017 CBCA Short List for New Illustrator), Vivienne To was the perfect choice for illustrating this book. The character she created is lively and endearing with expressions, movement and style that are exactly how a little explorer should appear. The depiction of packing the little green bag and the lucky dance are spaced so well, that it draws your eyes and complements the text. The pet iguana expresses the trepidation brilliantly. Her technique has all the elements that squeal joy … bright colours, delightful details and the vastness of the moon with a star-studded sky.
When You’re Going to the Moon was listed as a 2019 CBCA Notable Book, and it is definitely notable for me. Apart from inspiring imagination in little ones and encouraging them reach for the moon, this enchanting book is full of hope and perhaps a reminder to the grown-up reader of the wonder and potential in children (and adults) that should be actively supported. Because it excited my inner child, I highly recommend this delightful book for ages 3 to 80 years.
“There’s a lot you’ve got to fit in your little green bag. Your pet iguana, tap dancing shoes, and inflatable moose … What else might you need when you’re going to the moon?”
