Simon Bartram
Templar Publishing
Age 5-7
A beautifully illustrated picture book about an apparently ordinary man, Bob, who has an extraordinary job. Bob is an astronaut who commutes to the moon every day in his rocket to prepare for tourist visits. The illustrations are a delight with so much to discover and discuss, not least the aliens on every page. Bob doesn’t think aliens exist, but readers will soon decide he is mistaken.
Share the story
Read aloud Before you start reading the book talk about the cover illustration, what children can see and what they think might happen in the story. Talking about the cover will intrigue children; they will want to find out more.
As you read the story aloud allow time for children to talk about what they can see in the detailed illustrations which add so much to the story.
Join in Children will enjoy hearing the story more than once. Leave spaces so that they can join in with bits they remember such as ‘man on the moon’, or ‘no such thing as aliens’.
Talk about the book Go back to the first double page spread and talk about this page. Can children spot the space clues?
There are aliens on nearly every page which children will enjoy spotting and counting.
Tell the story How does Bob spend his day? Encourage children to tell the story of Bob’s day using the illustrations to help them.
Watch the story Click here
A parent writes...
"Isaac absolutely loved Man on the Moon. The illustrations in this book are wonderful and they captured my son’s imagination. We spent ages spotting the aliens in the pictures and trying to deciding which alien was our favourite."
"Following the activities suggested by Lovemybooks, we had a fantastic day reading, making and talking about space. We loved making a rocket together and this inspired so much discussion and learning about space."
"Reading the book and talking about the story and pictures in detail meant that my son was really willing to do some writing himself. He wrote a book about Bob’s day and was able to sequence the story himself because he was so familiar with the story. Making a zig zag book was a fantastic recommendation because it meant he was so proud to have written a book himself."
"Thank you Lovemybooks for such a brilliant recommendation and such imaginative and inspiring activities. I really think it’s such a brilliant resource for parents and teachers!"
Things to make and do
A parent writes...
"Isaac absolutely loved Man on the Moon. The illustrations in this book are wonderful and they captured my son’s imagination. We spent ages spotting the aliens in the pictures and trying to deciding which alien was our favourite."
"Following the activities suggested by Lovemybooks, we had a fantastic day reading, making and talking about space. We loved making a rocket together and this inspired so much discussion and learning about space."
"Reading the book and talking about the story and pictures in detail meant that my son was really willing to do some writing himself. He wrote a book about Bob’s day and was able to sequence the story himself because he was so familiar with the story. Making a zig zag book was a fantastic recommendation because it meant he was so proud to have written a book himself."
"Thank you Lovemybooks for such a brilliant recommendation and such imaginative and inspiring activities. I really think it’s such a brilliant resource for parents and teachers!"
Make your own book about Bob’s day Make a zig zag book and draw a picture on each page to show what Bob is doing at different times in the day. Click here to find out how to make a zig zag book.
Make a poster
Give your child a piece of A4 paper to make a poster about tourist trips to the moon. They could write something like ‘Come to the Moon!’ and then draw and write all the things tourists can do there.
Draw an alien Children can design their own alien, how many eyes will it have? What will its hands and feet be like? What colour will it be?
Make a rocket Stick cardboard or plastic tubes or containers together to make a rocket. Children could cover their model in glued paper and paint it.
Find out more
Read about more books by Simon Bartram here
The Diary of Dougal the Deep Sea Diver
Bob’s Best Ever friend
Alien Spotter’s Guide
Bob and the Moontree Mystery
Find out about astronauts and the moon. You could look for books at the library or click here, here and here.
Buy the book
Buy Man on the Moon (a day in the life of Bob) here
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