Cover Image: Sing to the Moon

Sing to the Moon

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Member Reviews

In this story, the boy’s Jjajja (Luganda word for grandfather and grandmother) helps the boy navigate a boring gloomy rainy day. The word jjajja reminded me both of
Ja ja - Spanish for humorous yes? And of the ending -ji, a sign of respect used in some parts of India. I am always fascinated by how language circle each other and this is a great example that we are not as different as we imagine. Jjajja tells the boy to sing to the moon, and maybe your wish will be granted. The boy starts out imagining of sailing off, finding creatures and feasting. He wakes up to rain. Jjajja takes him to do errands around the house and tells the boy stories of his childhood. Then the sun sets and nighttime is for stories! Jjajja tells fables handed down, and the illustrations and text share lovely and rich imagery of the stories passed down. This is a great tale of a grandfather’s love and the grandson’s warm memories of those visits. Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC.

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What a magical story! Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl was inspired to write the story after her visit to family in Uganda. It would make a lovely nap or bedtime story for any age child. The illustrations by Sandra van Doorn were lovely ; bright and detailed and whimsical. Lovely story!

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Sing to the Moon by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl, and Sandra Van Doorn is a wonderful A rhyming story with a nice cadence. This book is about the loving relationship between a boy and his Jjajja (grandfather) and how stories can make a long rainy day come alive. Throughout the long rainy day, a young boy wishes he could ride a supernova or cross the ocean to Zanzibar. His Jjajja helps him see that everything they do together can be the basis for a story, real or imagined. Digitally finished pastel artwork evokes the moods and locale of the story, and the little boy's eyes are so expressive as we see him enjoy the people and places his grandfather tell him about. Although the setting is Uganda, the theme is universal.

This is a story that children can learn about enjoying the rain and stories from Grandpa. I recommend this story. Parents should read this story to their children to teach kids that people of all ages have stories to tell.

I received an e-ARC from Lantana Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a very cozy book about a rainy day and what one child does to keep himself entertained. I enjoyed that it was about something we all have experienced before, a rainy day, but told what may happen on a rainy day if we lived in another country. The last few pages talk about where this story came from and about what the weather is like in that country. I loved it!

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This book is such a delight! I was provided it as an ARC for Net Galley for which I am extremely grateful, as my four year old daughter has asked me to read it to her every night since I downloaded it. This book tells the story of a child and their grandparent, spending a rainy Ugandan day doing things around the house and sharing stories. It highlights the beauty of ordinary days with the family that we love, and also encourages feats of imagination and dreams when the day ends. The illustrations are vibrant, the story is warm, and it is lovely encouragement to enjoy the the joys of everyday, regardless of the weather. My only (very small) gripe was that the rhymes weren’t always intuitive, and so sometimes I stumbled a bit with the rhythm while reading out loud.

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This book had a really odd layout on my kindle but I think the print book will have that fixed, so overall I think it will be a cute story and offers a diverse story that often American children may not get to be exposed to.

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This is a lovely tender rhyming book to share with a child at bedtime or anytime. Often in our busy world we don't know how to spend our time on a rainy day when we have no choice but to hunker down and have to remain inside. This book is inspiring as it passes on the almost forgotten traditional of spending quality time together ... face-to-face (not on FaceTime) while the rain relentlessly pelts down outside our window!

A dreary rainy day has landed in Uganda and a grandfather (Jjajja) and his beloved grandson spend the cloistered day enjoying each other's company.

"If I had one wish, I would reach the stars, then ride a supernova straight to Mars!"
"Jjajja tells me, "Sing to the moon," and perhaps my wish will be granted soon."

Jjajja tells intriguing stories of his childhood friends, receives help cleaning up around home, and together they prepare a nutritious fish stew to enjoy at dinner. The two experience night adventures together by reading books about bold kings and crooks by candlelight. After the rain has subsided they wander outside under the stars "where the night croons." Cuddling together ...

"Jjajja reminds me that I'm always loved... by even the brightest of stars up above."

At bedtime Jjajja says goodnight, plants a kiss, and his last words spoken quietly are... "Sing to the moon."

The illustrations are whimsical and magical which I love and the colour pallet is soothing and calm. I recommend this book.

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Simply lovely. A rhyming story with a nice cadence, and ideas of what to do on a rainy day. There are a few spots where the is a need of a comma, or a line break, because without it, the cadence is broken. But other than that, fantastic illustrations, fantastic story, about places far away from where I sit.

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When Nnedi Okorafor wrote <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25233229-chicken-in-the-kitchen?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Chicken in the kitchen</a>, she said she wrote it so that ther was atleast one story set in Africa that children all over the world could relate to, that wasn't about poverty or war, or things that most Westerns associate with Africa.

This book, Sing to the Moon, is very much in that vain. This is a story, set in Uganda, about a boy and his jjajja, his grandfather, as they spend a rainy day together doing chores, and a clear night talking about stories of the past.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-532" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Screen-Shot-2018-05-23-at-3.05.52-PM.png" alt="" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-531" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Screen-Shot-2018-05-23-at-3.06.08-PM.png" alt="" />

A sweet, peaceful sort of book, that could happen anywhere, and at any time. Some things, such as love between a child and their grandparents are universal.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

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This is such a beautifully written book for young kids. I loved the illustrations and the cultural diversity of this book.. The author is Ugandan and brings the cultural background of her country to the story. Simply a lovely book. A solid four stars for this cute story.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for a pre-publication ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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I liked the story “Sing to the Moon.” It was sweet and I learned more about Uganda. I do wish that there was an explanation of how to pronounce “jjajja.”

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