Thank you to the author and W.W. Norton & Company for the advanced reader copy.

I’m already a big fan of the Kentucky book woman series so I hopped at the chance to do an arc copy of this book.
It is beautifully illustrated and at the end there’s even a couple photographs of an actual moonlight classroom and the woman who started the literacy program. It was such a nice surprise to see those!

It sets the history of literacy in the early 1900’s in Kentucky in a way a child could read it and understand it.
It was heartwarming and it made me think of my own papaw and great mamaw and wonder of their family during that time.

I plan on buying a copy for myself and for my great cousin’s grandbabies.

Thank you for the advanced copy! This review is my own.

For this historical picture book, Kim Michele Richardson plumbs the same territory, literally, as in her blockbuster hit The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: the hollers of Eastern Kentucky.

Third-grader Jewel and her grandparents trudge to the Moonlight School for a spelling bee and graduation for grownups. Jewel’s literate, but Mamaw and Papaw weren’t until the Moonlight School popped up. Fortunately, we find that all the students graduate, and we witness the lovely celebration that follows, complete with music, persimmon cake and lemonade. The picture book, lovingly illustrated by Chloe Giroux, impresses readers with what a difference reading, writing and arithmetic made to these Eastern Kentucky farmers, coal miners, sawmill workers and their wives. As Jewel notes, “With books, we are richer than kings.” What a touching book!

The book is dedicated to Cora Wilson Stewart, who pioneered adult literacy by establishing what she called Moonlight Schools but we would call night schools. A wonderful woman and a wonderful tribute to her.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, W.W. Norton & Company and Norton Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

This book was wonderful. I very much enjoyed this children's book about grownups and children going to school at night when the moon is bright enough to light their path. This is a great book for children to learn what people would do for a chance at education. Education wasn't always a priority or even available and that's hard for the new generation to understand. The artwork in this book is also gorgeous!

Thank you so much to Norton Young Readers and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

In the story we follow Jewel and her grandparents who attend the moonlight schools, Jewel herself has been helping to teach them, wanting to be a teacher herself one day. It’s their graduation day and her Mawmaw is going to be doing a spelling test and she really hopes she will win. I really loved seeing how excited and hopeful Jewel was for her grandparents wanting them to succeed.

What an amazing piece of history, I was fully fascinated reading this, I didn’t know anything about the moonlight schools and now I want to read more about them, because of this. What an amazing concept and piece of history not talked about enough.

Cora Stewart was such an amazing person creating these schools to help get poor people to be educated. Giving them reading, writing and mathematical help so they can get paid better, do their jobs better and even get a better job. Or just so they can be knowledgable in more things than they ever dreamt they could be. What an absolutely incredible person she was.

The illustrations were really sweet seeing all the different people coming to attend the classes, the walk they all had to take to get there and then seeing the joy they felt after they graduated. The illustations were so beautiful, to look at. A really wonderful historical read and I now know something of history i didn’t know before which is always an incredible thing.

What an excellent book for my classroom! The language is rich and the subject matter interesting. My students will love it!

I received an electronic ARC from W. W. Norton & Company | Norton Young Readers through NetGalley.
Readers learn about the Moonlighters school in Kentucky. We see the whole story through a young girl's eyes. Jewel has been helping her grandparents learn to read and spell so they can earn their diplomas. Readers learn how much this matters when student share the difference these pieces of paper will make in their lives.
Much of the story unfolds at the schoolhouse. Giroux's illustrations capture the starkness of the building balanced against the warmth of the people. Readers also feel the night time and the walk to get there. I appreciate the ending as the love this family shares comes through clearly.
Perfect to talk about hardships with learning and perseverance to achieve.
Don't miss the historical information shared at the end.

5 stars

An Appalachian idea about which I was unfamiliar, I loved this very sweet picture book about “moonlight schools” of the early 20th century where adults with little or no education attended school at night to learn basic precepts - this book features coal miners who learn to write their names and people who learn to enough math to make change.

Jewel is the main character and she attends the school with her grandparents. The illustrations fit the Appalachian area and the family depicted is lovely, as is Papaw’s reason for going to school. Big fan of this one. It’s quiet, and isn’t covered in bright colors so small children might not immediately reach for it, but I hope it finds the right audience.