How the Moon Regained Her Shape

Influenced by Native American folktales, this story teaches the phases of the moon while emphasizing how to deal with bullies. After the sun insults her, the moon is hurt and disappears. With the help of her many friends, the moon regains her self-confidence each day until she is back to her full size. The "For Creative Minds" section includes moon observations, fun facts, Native American names for full moon, a section on how to deal with bullies (paperback), a lunar calendar, and graphics to help view and understand the moon's phases. Helps children deal with bullies.

This fascinating story influenced by Native American folktales explains why the moon changes shape and helps children deal with bullies. After the sun insults and bullies her, the moon feels so badly hurt that she shrinks and leaves the sky. The moon turns to a comet and her many friends on earth to comfort her. Her friends include rabbits and Native Americans. Then she regains her full shape, happiness, and self-esteem. The moon also returns to her orbit. An educational appendix called “Creative Minds” gives advice about bullying, scientific information about the moon, and ideas for related crafts, recipes, and games for children.

About the Author

Janet Ruth Heller (How the Moon Regained Her Shape) has her Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. After a career of almost 30 years of teaching at various colleges and universities, she is currently an assistant professor for the English Department at Western Michigan University. She has taught a wide variety of classes, including creative writing and literature for children. Janet is a prolific writer of poetry and stories that have been published in a wide variety of magazines and journals. She is a founding mother of Primavera, a literary magazine based in Chicago. Her book of literary criticism, Coleridge, Lamb, Hazlitt, and the Reader of Drama, was published in 1990 by the University of Missouri Press.