Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin, illustrated by Leslie Evans Grades 1-3 36 pages Charlesbridge July 2009 Hardcover     Faces of the Moon is a nonfiction book that teaches children about the different lunar phases starting with the new moon, cycling through the crescent moon, quarter moon, and gibbous moon, to the full moon and back again. The story of the lunar cycle is set to rhyme. We also get to see people leading their regular lives - camping, playing with a dog, talking on the phone, walking to school, and riding in a taxicab - against a backdrop of the moon on its monthly trek across the sky. Each double-page spread shows one of the phases of the moon in crisp and striking linoleum-cut illustrations. Index tabs with pictures of the different phases of the moon readily take you to the appropriate pages for that phase, making this an easy-to-use reference guide. A really nice feature of the book is the cutout window on each page. As you turn the pages, you can see the moon’s changing phases so that it has the effect of watching an animation of the lunar cycle. The pages for each phase also list the typical times for moonrise and moonset, and the end pages contain a map of the solar system showing the positions of the moon, Earth and Sun with respect to each other through the month. This is an innovative and truly unique book chock full of information - a terrific resource for learning about the lunar cycle. Downloadable activities for teachers can be found at the author’s website at www.bobcrelin.com. This is a wonderful book for a young person interested in astronomy, general science, or the outdoors as well as for classrooms and libraries. Although this book is intended for children aged 6-9, there is enough here to hold the attention of everyone from preschoolers to pre-teens.     web reviews   Usha Reynolds/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)