Moon Over Star by Dianna Hutts Aston (Correta Scott King Honor, 2009)

Moon over Star is a book about a little girl named Mae who lives in a town called Star. The whole town, and the neighborhood children especially, are waiting and watching and praying for the astronauts who are about to land on the moon. Mae's grandfather is tired, and doesn't want to watch the moon landing, but she understands. Mae daydreams that one day she'll go to the moon, and when she tells her otherwise unenthusiastic grandfather, he is proud of her.

Moon Over Star is an endearing, hopeful little book, with fantastic illustrations by Jerry Pinkney. In only a few short pages, the reader gets a sense of a small dusty town in the midst of summer, of the people who are waiting anxiously for the spectacular moon landing, and of course, of Mae, who has big hopes and dreams.
I loved this little picture book, and unfortunately, I've not read any others by the same author. The format was different from most other picture books- nearly poetic in spacing on each page. Also, Mae was lovable without being cloying, and the respect that she had for her Grandfather's age and wisdom was the epitome of charming.

It's hard to say what I learned form this book. Big things come in small packages, perhaps? Even the simplest things can have a huge impact on a reader? Regardless, this book is a keeper.