Margot and the Moon Landing

by A. C. Fitzpatrick, Erika Medina (Illustrator)

Overview

A universal story about speaking, listening and being heard.

Margot loves space. Astronauts, the stars, and especially the moon landing. So she can’t understand why all of her attempts to communicate her passion fall on disinterested ears. Her mom is patient but distracted; her classmates would rather play kickball; and her teacher just wants her to focus and pay attention in class. Even so, Margot wishes she never had to talk about anything but space ever again.

When she wakes up one morning and discovers she can only recite Neil Armstrong’s famous speech from the moon landing, Margot realizes she has an even bigger problem. How can Margot get everyone to pay attention and—more importantly—to hear what she’s really trying to say? This powerful picture book debut plays with themes of listening and communication to highlight the importance of a space of one’s own, no matter what your passion may be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773213606
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.25(w) x 9.50(h) x (d)
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

A.C. FITZPATRICK is a writer, editor, and former bookseller living in Toronto, Ontario who has written for Rookie, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. She has never been to outer space but thinks it would be pretty cool.

ERIKA MEDINA is a Mexican illustrator and art instructor living and working in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is interested in storytelling, myths and legends, and scary stories.

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2020

Gr 1–3—Margot is a young girl who is obsessed with space. She reads and rereads all her favorite books about space even though her mother tries to convince her to read books about other topics. She loves to share the new facts she learns with everyone she meets, but her enthusiasm is met with indifference. One morning Margot wakes up and finds that every time she opens her mouth to speak, only the transmissions from Neil Armstrong's 1969 mission to the moon come out. Throughout the school day, Margot is baffled that no one else notices what's going on. She grows increasingly frustrated and erupts when she gets home from school. She writes all her feelings out on her bedroom wall. Her mother enters her room and initially yells, but when she reads all Margot's words, her expression changes and she writes, "I hear you." Margot's mother returns with a bucket of paint, and they paint the wall blue with a space motif, including large sheets of paper so she has a place to write her thoughts. In the charming illustrations, Margot has short, dark hair and brown skin, as does her mother, with a diverse array of background characters. VERDICT A nice addition promoting individuality and the importance of being heard and staying true to yourself.—Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn

School Library Journal

2020-02-09
Margot is interested in only one thing: space travel.

When she regales others with her knowledge, they steer her attention to other topics (her mother), or are “unimpressed” (her teacher), or would rather play kickball (her friends, a multiracial bunch). One night, Margot wishes she never had to talk about anything but space ever again. And lo—the next morning, she can only recite Neil Armstrong’s famous speech from the 1969 moon landing, greeting her mother with “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” instead of “good morning.” Throughout the day, Margot grows increasingly frustrated, and, that night in her bedroom, she explodes. She writes her feelings on her wall—in marker. But her mother, upon seeing the scrawled-up wall, does not reprimand Margot: She reads what Margot’s written and writes: “I hear you” alongside. The pair repairs the wall—and the relationship—and creates a space for Margot to write her thoughts. “Margot wasn’t sure when exactly her voice came back,” Fitzpatrick writes. “But she was glad she had someone there to hear it.” Medina’s empathetic illustrations skillfully convey Margot’s many emotions—hurt, frustration, anger—with color, expression, and perspective. Both Margot and her mother are brown skinned; their dinner of “dahl and rice” suggests they are of South Asian heritage.

A charming picture book about both a child and her obsessions and frustration, anger, and repair. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews