As usual Tuttle Publishing's books works to educate the reader about an Eastern culture. Be sure to check out this wonderful book and learn a bit about the Mid-Autumn Festival and the importance of the moon during it.
Our next book is the second in the Happy County series. It is Sun and Moon Together by Ethan Long. This book is suggested for ages 3 to 6. It has words next to many of the pictures and reminds me of Richard Scarry books. I loved those type of books when I was beginning to read. The book goes through what the sun sees and then the moon for about two days. It also has informative pages about each the sun and the moon.
This book is a fun introduction to words as well as to the sun and moon. I love how there are questions asking you to find things in the pictures. Then there are pages about the water cycle (for the sun) and the phases of the moon and tides and more so it introduces a bit of science to this younger age child. The pictures are fun and the animal characters are cute.
Be sure to check out this fun filled book that has so many lessons and more in it.
Our final book being reviewed today is the National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021. The Almanac covers just about any topic so I am throwing it into this post but will probably bring it out for some other ones as well. As always it is divided into sections: Your World 2021, Awesome Exploration, Amazing Animals, Wonders of Nature, Space and Earth, Fun and Games, Science and Technology, Culture Connection, Going Green, History Happens, and Geography Rocks. Each page is full of information as well as amazing photographs and graphics. There is something in it for everyone.
- "Astronauts say the moon smells like wet ashes." (page 112)
- "There is real gold in the sun." (page 131)
- "The sun also converts about four million tons (3,628,739 t) of matter to energy every second." (page 131)
- "Solar storms occur about 2,000 times every eleven years, or once every two days." (page 131)
- There will be a supermoon on April 26 in North and South American and April 27 in other continents. There will also be more supermoons on May 26 and June 24. There will be a total lunar eclipse on May 26. There will be a blue moon on August 22, 2020. (page 130)
- "The Inca called gold 'the sweat of the sun' and silver 'the tears of the moon'." (page 192)
- In Greek Mythology, Apollo was the god of the sun. In Roman Mythology Diana was the goddess of hunting and the moon. (pages 196-197)
- "Some of the recent climate changes can be tied to natural causes--such as changes in the sun's intensity, the unusually warm ocean currents of El Nino, and volcanic activity--but human activities are a major factor as well." (page 217)
- "Egypt's Lighthouse of Alexandria, the world's first lighthouse, used mirrors to reflect sunlight for miles out to sea." (page 222)
- "On sunny day, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, leans towards the shade." (page 278)
Fun Facts about the Moon
Our moon is the fifth largest moon in our solar system.
The moon orbits the earth once every 27.3 days.
We can only see 60% of the surface of the moon. We only see 50% of the surface at any one time.
The moon is about ¼ the size of earth.
It has mountains, huge craters and flat planes called seas which are made of hardened lava.
The moon does not produce any light. It reflects the light of the sun.
The temperature on the moon ranges from 127 degrees Celsius (water boils at 100) when the sun is shining on it and -153 degrees Celsius (freezing is 0) when the sun is “down”.
The moon’s gravity force is about one sixth of the Earth’s gravity.
One belief is that the moon was formed when a large rock crashed into Earth.
The moon is drifting away from the Earth. It moves about 3.8 cm from Earth every year.
The moon has been walked on by 12 people—all American men.
Sources:
National Geographic Kids. “10 Facts about the Moon.” https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/science/space/facts-about-the-moon/
Science Kids. “Moon Facts for Kids.” https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/space/moon.html
Space Facts. “Moon Facts.” https://space-facts.com/the-moon/
Moon Crafts & Activities
More Books Featuring the Moon
Fun Facts about the Sun
The sun accounts for 99.86% of the mass in the solar system.
Over one million Earths could fit inside the sun.
In about 130 million years the sun will engulf Earth and become a red giant star.
The sun travels at 220 km per second. It takes the sun approximately 225-250 million years to make a complete orbit around the center of the Milky Way.
Eventually the sun will be about the size of the Earth. It will collapse after its red giant phase. It will be known as a white dwarf.
It takes 8 minutes for light to reach Earth from the sun.
The sun is about 4.5 billion years old and it is about half way through its life.
The sun is almost a perfect sphere. It is the closest thing to a perfect sphere that has been observed in nature.
The temperature inside the sun can reach 15 million degrees Celsius. The surface of the sun is closer to 5,600 degrees Celsius.
Sol is the Latin word for sun. It is where solar system comes from.
Sources:
Space Facts. “Sun Facts.” https://space-facts.com/the-sun/
The Planets. “Sun Facts.” https://theplanets.org/the-sun/
Sun Crafts & Activities
