Man on the Moon - Simon Bartram

...am in love with a man other than my husband! It’s not as bad as it sounds, because the OTHER man in my life is purely fictional. His name is Bob and he is the subject of an excellent picture book for younger readers called Man on the Moon: A Day in the Life of Bob. It is written and illustrated by Simon Bartram (who also provided pictures for books such as Pumpkin Moon, A Christmas Wish and Night and the Candlemaker).

~~~THE PLOT.
...in the life of a man called Bob. Bob is an astronaut and also works as a kind of caretaker on the moon. This book follows him from when he gets up and goes through his daily routine ~ he has breakfast, gets on his bike, cycles to the launch pad, takes his rocket to the moon, clears up ready for visitors and gives talks and sells souvenirs. He has a picnic at lunchtime (with his friends the Man on Saturn and the Man on Mars) and then clears up before ... more

I am in love with a man other than my husband! It’s not as bad as it sounds, because the OTHER man in my life is purely fictional. His name is Bob and he is the subject of an excellent picture book for younger readers called Man on the Moon: A Day in the Life of Bob. It is written and illustrated by Simon Bartram (who also provided pictures for books such as Pumpkin Moon, A Christmas Wish and Night and the Candlemaker).

~~~THE PLOT.

Man on the Moon, as the subtitle suggests, gives us an insight into a day in the life of a man called Bob. Bob is an astronaut and also works as a kind of caretaker on the moon. This book follows him from when he gets up and goes through his daily routine ~ he has breakfast, gets on his bike, cycles to the launch pad, takes his rocket to the moon, clears up ready for visitors and gives talks and sells souvenirs. He has a picnic at lunchtime (with his friends the Man on Saturn and the Man on Mars) and then clears up before getting the rocket back at rush hour, before settling down to sleep.

Bob is supposed to know EVERYTHING about the moon, but the big question is “does he?”

~~~WHAT I THINK.

The illustrations and witty text make this an excellent story for children from around six years old. The pictures have a kind of retro feel and Bob comes across as a great guy and looks like a “square-jawed” hero type like Flash Gordon. It is bright, cheerful and a really good read. The language used is simple yet effective ~ there are no words that little ones will struggle with, but the images and text will give them something to think about and perhaps get them interested in space and the stars.

There is something for younger readers to spot on every page ~ the recurring alien theme offers a link throughout and also makes you giggle. Bob is convinced that there is no such thing as aliens, but the reader knows different and I have seen children enthusiastically shouting out at the story reader to tell Bob that the aliens are right behind him! The brightly coloured, fun looking aliens “sneak” into almost every page and Bob never notices; it is funny to know something that Bob doesn’t! We are in on Bartram’s little joke and it makes us feel included.

I found myself chuckling throughout the book at the funny little details that Bartram has included. At first glance some bits seem a bit irrelevant and maybe a little silly ~ but this is all part of the book’s charm. Bob has to clean the moon in the morning and even has to vacuum it because “quite often astronauts drop candy wrappers and cans.” We see what he has on his sandwiches, how many eggs Bob has for breakfast and how he does little acrobatic routines to entertain visitors as they pass.

The bold illustrations are fun and mirror the cheerfulness of Bob ~ he smiles a lot and really enjoys teaching visitors about what happens on the moon. He is especially adamant when he assures them that there is definitely no such thing as aliens!

Man on the Moon is a book that will make you smile! It is filled with humour and a sense of fun. There is lots of colour and is a really original idea. My favourite bit is where Bob is talking to the visitors ~ they are wearing lovely goldfish bowl shaped helmets, but still have their regular clothes on. They buy souvenirs to remind them of their visit ~ I smiled wryly at the little models of the moon!

I think that Man on the Moon would make an excellent read before bedtime. It will give an opportunity to discuss what you and your child have done during the day. As Bob settles down to sleep at the end of his exciting day there is the high possibility that children will be getting sleepy and be ready for a rest too!

Man on the Moon is a lovely book to explore with a child, or for children to read on their own and tell you all about. I also find that it is a good story to read to a group of children ~ they can spot things in the pictures, laugh along with the jokes and think about how much different Bob’s daily routine is to their own. They will identify with the start of his day (it is only when he changes into his special “man on the moon” outfit that the fun really begins) and can then contrast the rest with his own ~ the juxtaposition of the normal and the odd parts of Bob’s life will create giggles and discussion!

There is a lot going on and it will certainly keep your interest right through to the end. At 32 pages it is long enough to pass some time and not so long that the jokes begin to wear thin. I thoroughly recommend this story. Bob is a thoroughly nice man and his life is well worth spying on. It is the extraordinary tale of a rather ordinary bloke!

Oh, yes…and Bob has TWO eggs for breakfast. Just in case you were wondering!

~~~BOOK DETAILS.

• Hardcover 32 pages (August 1, 2002)
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• ISBN: 0763618977

Man on the Moon is currently selling for £6.99 on Amazon ~ the cover price is £9.99.

 

...less