63. The Moon over Star, by Dianna Hutts Aston

 

63. The Moon over Star, by Dianna Hutts Aston


Aston, D.H. (2008). The moon over star. NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. 

In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. That historic event inspires a young African American girl, in a little town called Star, to dream big.  The day of the landing, her and her family begin the day in church.  They pray for the astronauts and their families. They go about their day of chores, play and family fellowship until the big moment when the astronauts set foot on the moon.  Everyone is gathered around the television to watch the historic event.  Later, the young protagonist discusses her dream with her grandpa about going to the moon.  He is proud and tells her to keep dreaming.

 This book is a tribute to the Apollo 11 mission published just in time to commemorate its 40th anniversary on July 20, 2009.  It has such a positive vibe, full of hope for the future.  I found a wonderful lesson plan for a weekly unit called Breakthroughs.   It is by a teacher named Mrs. Warner (I couldn’t find her first name. The book is incorporated in the unit with other historical fiction books about important breakthrough in history.   The neat thing is it is all digital!

https://mrswarnerarlington.weebly.com/unit-43-the-moon-over-stars.html

 

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