Regards to the Man in the Moon

by Ezra Jack Keats

Book Overview

When the other kids make fun of Louie and call his father "the junkman," his dad explains that the so-called junk he loves "can take you right out of this world" with a little imagination. So Louie builds the spaceship Imagination I and blasts off into his own space odyssey. Reissued just in time for the fortieth anniversary of the first lunar landing, this fantastical Keats adventure celebrates the power of imagination.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670011371
• ISBN13: 9780670011377
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 9.1" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

A fantastic book

I loved this book. It captures a child's imagination , well worth buying for a child under 8.

I don't like this one as much as Keats' other books

Ezra Jack Keats is a classic picture book author. Your library isn't complete without at least a few of his books. This one is less well-known, I think, than some of the others such as The Snowy Day... and I'm not very surprised. The story itself is great. A kid is teased for his father owning a junkyard, and his parents help him use the junk to build a pretend spaceship... so he and some of the other kids pretend to travel through space, and the story is built up with what they pretend to see. Great! Except I found it a little moralizing. Louie talks actively about "using our imagination" and "don't you have any imagination" and "they thought they ran out of imagination", and we're explicitly told that the two kids who "ran out of imagination" found themselves unable to move in their make-believe world (probably because they weren't really moving, but let's not go there). I don't hear children speaking like this in real life. It sounds more like teacher-talk than like child-talk to me - children are more likely to say "let's pretend" or "let's make like" - or to even just go ahead and *do* it. And if they can't come up with something, they say that or let somebody else make things up instead of bemoaning their lack of imagination. It's still a good book, and a good addition to your library, but I prefer The Pet Show or Whistle for Willie instead.

Awesome for the Imagination

This is a great book for a few reasons and not just that Ezra Jack Keats wrote it. First, it addresses an important issue; that no matter what you look like, how you dress or how much money you don't have your friends are the ones who are true to you. In addition, your popularity can change within a few hours. Second, this story is great because it has inspired my kids to believe in the power of their dreams. My kids love this book; it really seems to fuel their imagination.

Regards to the Man in the Moon

Louie is upset that his friends call his father "the junkman." But his father explains to him that all it takes is a little imagination to transform "junk". So with the help of his parents, Louie builds the spaceship Imagination I. The next morning, he and his friend Susie blast off into the wide expanses of space. At first they are a bit afraid, but that changes when they see wondrous things and discover new worlds. A mini adventure occurs when Ziggie and Ruthie---who have followed the two into space---run out of imagination and get stuck. This book introduces children to the mystery and beauty of outerspace. Keats' illustrations done with a combination of paint and collage are truly fantastic. However, I find that most importantly "Regards to the Man in the Moon" teaches children to let their imagination soar and transport them places they've never been, and where they can be anyone and do anything.