Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Rosie awakes in the early morning and watches the large round moon sink in the sky. “I wonder what it’s made of,” she asks Cat. Cat tells her the moon is a saucer of fresh milk that spilled from the sky into puddles on the ground. Maybe. Rosie is not sure, so she and Cat ask Hen. Hen tells them the moon is a large egg that hatches small shining chicks as stars. Maybe. These characters wander into the meadow and ask a butterfly. The butterfly replies that the moon is made of sugar: sticky, sparkling, and sweet. Dog tells them that the moon is made of creamy butter, and Mouse reports that it is made of flour, providing the clouds in the sky. Somehow, Rosie does not think she has found the correct answer yet. She returns to the house with her animal friends following close behind. Rosie explains the various opinions about the composition of the moon to her grandmother. Gran combines all of the ingredients mentioned in a large bowl and makes cookies. The sugar cookies do look just like the moon and they are delicious. The recipe appears in the back of the book. Large, full-color, cartoonlike illustrations fill the pages, making this a good choice for read-aloud time--especially if sugar cookies are served to the listeners afterwards. 2007, Dutton Children’s Books, $16.99. Ages 3 to 7.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 2))
Rosie wonders what the moon is made of; her cat purrs, “a saucer of fresh milk.” And off they set to ask their other animal friends what they think. Hen cackles, “an egg and small shining chicks hatch from it to become stars”; Butterfly whispers, “it’s made of sugar”; Dog licks his lips, “a round pat of sweet butter”; Mouse claims, “you’re all wrong, it’s made of white flour that the wind blows to make powdery clouds.” Rosie says “Gram will know,” and they all race back to the house where Gran proves they are all right as she takes each item and mixes them together and bakes moon-shaped cookies. The story is gentle and flavored with elements of other cumulative tales for a young audience. Broad images depict the scenes with bits of collage and patterned textures and Tomie dePaola–style faces. A sweet bedtime tale that’s sure to elicit a cookie request. (recipe included) 2007, Dutton, 32p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 6. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
Cat thinks the moon is made of milk; Hen says it's an egg; Butterfly, Dog, and Mouse have different ideas (sugar, butter, flour). Rosie isn't sure, so they visit Gran and learn that they're all partially correct. Hillenbrand's uncluttered patterned illustrations complement this traditionally structured story that ends with a delicious batch of cookies. Gran's recipe for sugar cookie moons is included. Category: Preschool. 2007, Dutton, 32pp, 16.99. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.