Margot and the Moon Landing by AC Fitzpatrick illustrated by Erika Medina

Margot loves everything about space travel and the moon. She reads every book she can find on this topic and then she just has to SHARE everything she knows with EVERYONE. The problem is her mother has stopped listening and her teacher just seems to be quite frustrated and even angry with Margot.

Eventually, having no one listening to her, drives Margot herself crazy and she grabs her marker pens and writes furiously all over her bedroom walls. Sharing this book with your child this could be the page to stop. How will mum react? Turn the page and you will be surprised. Mum stops and takes the time to read what Margot has written. 

"Margot waited for something to happen but instead mum got very quiet. She read all the words and then read them again."

Margot tries to rub out the words, but mum stops her. She grabs a pot of paint and together they fill the wall with images of space travel and stars and then even better mum attaches two enormous sheets of paper to the walls and shows Margot that these are the places she can write anything she likes. 

Publisher blurb: 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. 

A charming picture book about both a child and her obsessions and frustration, anger, and repair. Kirkus

There are several valuable themes in this book, including listening, communication and forgiveness. The book’s contents cover Margot’s learning to express herself effectively and constructively, and there’s also the lesson for adults in children’s lives – to listen and allow kids to be heard and to meet where they’re at. Canadian Review of Materials (Read this review if you are concerned about the way Margot expresses her anger using strong language). 

You can probably guess why I bought this book. If you are talking about space or the moon landing or want to affirm those quirky kids in your class who obsess (in a good way) over a specific topic, then this book could be fun to share. It reminded me of the way the little girl in Agatha May and the Angler Fish by Nora Morrison knew everything about her own favourite fish. 

Here is the teacher's guide from Canadian publisher Annick Press. Erika Rodriguez Medina is originally from Mexico. She now lives in Canada. You can see some of her books here. 

If you have an older child aged 9+ who, like Margot, is fascinated by the Moon Landing they might enjoy this Australian middle grade novel. 

In the illustration I shared you can see Margot reading a book about Laika. Take a look at my blog post about this famous dog who was sent to space (warning very young children may be distressed to discover Laika did not make it back to earth). You should also visit or revisit this award-winning Picture book from Australia:

Stellarphant