A Fort on the Moon

by Maggie Pouncey, Larry Day (Illustrator)

Overview

A boy and his older brother hatch a plan to return to the moon for the fourth time in their homemade rocket. This time, they're going to build something extra-special.

Using a bunch of "junk" their mom left in a heap by the back door, brothers Fox and Dodge Wilder blast off by night for their fifth trip to the moon. They strap into their old car-seats and put on their protective bike helmets and winter coats. Ready for lift off!

When they land, they set to work on a magnificent fort. It's hard work, and sometimes they face setbacks, but Dodge knows he can always turn to his older brother for inspiration. When they're done, they return to the comfort of home and breakfast

Did the trip really take place, or was it only in the kids' imagination?

A Fort on the Moon will resonate with any child with a passion for fantasy, adventure, and invention, and parents are sure to love the heartwarming bond of two brothers in a world of their own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823446575
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	11/03/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	722,598
Product dimensions:	8.83(w) x 11.24(h) x 0.34(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Maggie Pouncey was born in New York City and grew up there and in Amherst, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut. She received her B.A. and M.F.A. from Columbia University and has taught writing workshops in many contexts, from poetry workshops for third graders in Long Island, to essay writing for women at a medium security prison through the Bard Prison Initiative. She is the Co-Founder of Stories Bookshop + Storytelling Lab, a children's only bookshop in Brooklyn (now virtual), where she lives with her husband and two sons. Maggie is the author of the novel Perfect Reader.

Larry Day is the award-winning illustrator of fiction and non-fiction picture books. He is the recipient of 3 Gold medals from the Society of Illustrators, and the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Not Afraid of Dogs. He illustrated My Fourth of July, by Jerry Spinelli.

Editorial Reviews

10/05/2020

Tan-skinned brothers Dodge and Fox are planning an out-of-this-world construction project—younger sibling Dodge, the narrator, calls it “a home on the moon for all brave enough to use.” Employing a broken umbrella, a pool noodle, two car seats, and other discards, they construct a spaceship on their home’s widow’s walk and head off on a lunar mission. Plainspoken lines detail the journey winningly (“Moondust sticks to everything. We’re low on tape”), but, in this tribute to intimate sibling relationships, the imaginative adventure is almost beside the point. Watercolor and gouache pictures by Day (Found) have an immediacy that matches the brothers’ confidence and unalloyed affection. Pouncey, making her picture book debut, contributes an astute, tender portrayal of the siblings’ bond; Dodge adores and is comforted by his older brother, and together the two present a unified front against parents who are beloved but (at least in the children’s eyes) clueless. “We lie in our beds, as still as moon craters,” Dodge says, as the two wait to make their secret journey, “till we no longer hear our parents’ soft voices and the ribbon of light beneath our door disappears into darkness.” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jennifer Carlson, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. Illustrator’s agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Watercolor and gouache pictures by Day (Found) have an immediacy that matches the brothers’ confidence and unalloyed affection. Pouncey, making her picture book debut, contributes an astute, tender portrayal of the siblings’ bond"—Publishers Weekly

"The illustrations’ blend of realism and fantasy may prove irresistible enough to some children that they may even need to be warned against taking the imaginative trip too literally and attempting a launch of their own. Great fun."—Booklist

"Day’s illustrations ('pencil, pen, and ink with watercolor and gouache'), starring a family with subtly varying skin tones, skillfully alternate spot art, panels, single pages, and double-page spreads. An appealingly textured warm blue serves as stand-in for the inky darkness of night and outer space—fitting the narrative’s upbeat spirit." —The Horn Book

"A Fort on the Moon is filled with authentic—never patronizing—details that capture how children perceive the world. . . . Children will delight at the boys’ lunar antics and may even be touched by the brotherly bonding that occurs when Dodge realizes that, if it weren’t for his brother, he would have given up. A Fort on the Moon marries art and story for a combination that’s truly out of this world."—BookPage

"There’s lots of warm, child-friendly character . . .  the luscious watercolors that capture snug domestic scenes, the frantic, tumultuous fort-building sequence, and, most especially, the sweeping double-page spreads of the velvety, star-filled night sky are worth a look." —Kirkus Reviews

"Pouncey pitches this at an audience just beginning to negotiate unreliable narrators and trickster authors, with a narrative that could supply a sophisticated reading that attributes the boys’ activities to imagination or dreams yet requires reconsideration when Mom mentions that the junk stored on the roof has gone missing. Day encourages this head scratching with lively mixed media artwork that revels in the cobbled-together spaceship and fort—wondrously inviting to build and to occupy—immersing viewers in make-believe play as prelude to Pouncey’s reveal that this might all have been the real deal."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

12/01/2020

Gr 2–4—Pouncey depicts an activity that many a kid has dreamed of, traveling to the moon. Readers ride along on an adventure with Fox Wilder and his younger brother, who narrates in a matter-of-fact voice. They plan to build a fort on the moon. It's a confident plan; they have already been there but this time their trusty spaceship, the White Dolphin, is equipped with junk from home and they have devised a layout. There are some tricks required for building on the moon, but thanks to Fox, the siblings succeed and have fun along the way. All the while, their parents offer encouragement, are fully on board with the plan, and get out of the way of the adventurers. The teamwork of the brothers and the creativity and fun they have through the story will entertain readers; it's just the right amount of silly to make kids laugh but has enough substance to lead to adventures of their own. VERDICT With the help of Day's illustrations, which depict the father, mother, and two boys as having light brown skin, Pouncey's story will inspire many kids to imagine building their own path to the moon.—David Roberts, Salem P.L., OH

School Library Journal

2020-09-15
Two brothers use junk and ingenuity to create a spaceship to journey to the moon.

Fox and Dodge have been rocketing back and forth to the moon for some time now, but this trip will be special—they will leave a fort behind. However, when the building gets tough, it takes a little wisdom and some “crazy dance moves” from big brother Fox to help get the job done. When the pair proudly arrives home and mom wonders about the odds and ends that have mysteriously disappeared, they share a secret glance and an answer: “outer space.” There’s lots of warm, child-friendly character as the brothers make “moon angels” and use old car seats as a cockpit, but the way the narrative tries to straddle the line between imaginary journey and fantasy isn’t quite successful. With a lengthy, meandering text, it’s too long for little ones who might still believe the moon can be reached by homemade rocket, and older children who can sit through a reading may find the “did it really happen” concept trite. The earnest message that perseverance pays off edges uncomfortably into life-lesson territory. Still, the luscious watercolors that capture snug domestic scenes, the frantic, tumultuous fort-building sequence, and, most especially, the sweeping double-page spreads of the velvety, star-filled night sky are worth a look. The kids are racially ambiguous, with beige skin and dark hair.

Pretty—but hampered by the wordy text. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews