Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Beautiful Moon / Bella Luna

Rate this book
With the help of a moonlit night, a little girl's fantasy becomes reality. In a wink the moon grants her wish for a day that never ends. She plays until exhausted and wishes for night to come so she can rest. Bilingual full text in English and Spanish.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2009

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Dawn Jeffers

2 books1 follower

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
27 (27%)
4 stars
31 (31%)
3 stars
34 (34%)
2 stars
7 (7%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa Vegan.
2,826 reviews1,273 followers
July 27, 2011
This book is by the same team that wrote & illustrated Vegetable Dreams / Sueno De Verduras, in fact I see that this book came first, although I read the other one right before this one.

This is a wonderful bilingual English-Spanish book, and there’s even a English-Spanish vocabulary list at the back of the book with the words: beautiful, moon, darkness, day, sky, birds, animals, flowers, sunlight, trees, grass, and stars.

The simple story is very poetic. It’s appropriate for the youngest child. It’s a terrific bedtime story book and great for kids who fight going to bed/sleep, as the girl in the story realizes that a never-ending day is not ideal, but that nighttime and sleep/rest is as important as daytime and all the activities one can do during the day.

The illustrations are whimsical and charming, not necessarily in a style that’s my favorite, but I really enjoyed them in this book.

3 ½ stars
Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,499 reviews
February 24, 2010
Four stars is probably a bit generous, but I really liked the illustrations--they are charming, lovely and a tad quirky with a fresh yet slightly old-fashioned feel. The story itself seemed a bit lackluster for me--it's gentle, but perhaps verging a tad on "boring" at times, about a little girl who loves daytime so much she wishes it never had to end. So, the sun and moon do a bit of orchestrating and she soon learns why nightime is so important for humans, animals and plants to get some much-needed rest! The text is 100% bilingual with the English and Spanish versions on each page--it's not one of these where the Spanish words are mixed in with an otherwise English-based story--so you can choose to read the story in either Spanish or English.
Profile Image for Betsy.
454 reviews12 followers
March 10, 2011
I loved this seemingly simple, beautiful book. It's a great bed-time story, but it would also be a great discussion book about why we have night-time and what might happen if we didn't. I can see some pretty significant discussions stemming from this short picture book.
9 reviews
March 5, 2021
Beautiful Moon is a story about a girl with an active imagination who has lots to do. The author uses very descriptive words to portray what she sees and feels. She desires a never ending day but learns there is a need for rest. The moon has an important lesson to teach the girl. It is a good lesson that we all need to remind ourselves from time to time. Young children will relate to having grand plans with not enough time to carry them all out.
Read
October 12, 2015
Title: Beautiful Moon : Bella Luna
Author: Dawn Jeffers
Illustrator: Bonnie Leick
Genre: Online book
Theme(s): Appreciation, Concepts of night and day
Opening line/sentence:
“The sun sets.
The grass is cool.
I look into the dark indigo night
And see the glow of the beautiful moon.”
Brief Book Summary: A girl looks at the moon and wishes that she could have an endless day where she could play without having to stop. Immediately, the moon disappears and daytime arrives as she plays until she gets tired and sits to rest. It is now that she realizes the importance of nighttime for her and the environment around her, giving them a chance to rest and gain energy for the next day.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: (4) K-3 Illustrated by Bonnie Leick. A girl hopes for "a day that never ends," and the moon grants her wish. She eventually realizes, "Nighttime is the time for rest, / a time to gain energy for a new day." The Spanish translation isn't an exact match for the English text; though lyrical, both are awkward in places. The soothing pastoral illustrations resemble greeting-card art. (Horn Book)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: A restless little girl stares up at the moon and thinks of all the things the moon took from her when it replaced the sun. There is still so much left for her to do she thinks she needs a day that does not end. As if granting a wish, the moon winks, and the dark sky peels away revealing renewed energy. Her vigor soon diminishes, and she sits down to rest. She looks around her at wilting trees, sad flowers, and browning grass, which make her take notice of her own need but inability to rest. Realizing how all things need rest and night is the time for that to happen, she looks to the sun, who winks at her newfound wisdom and turns back into the moon. The little girl gazes at the moon with new appreciation and understanding. This book is a sweet reminder that sometimes we need to see things in a different light to fully appreciate them. (Mandy Cruz, CLCD)
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews address the fact that the little girl realizes the importance of nighttime and gains a new respect for the time of rest. I agree that it was awkward in places. I like the line “this book is a sweet reminder that sometimes we need to see things in a different light to fully appreciate them” and think this is an important lesson for elementary students.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The narration of this book was very strange in this version. As far as the actual story goes there was a wide assortment of imagery with lines like “the bright sky turns into a blanket of indigo” and descriptions of the girl playing and animals roaming about. Not many other elements were present in this story, making it a little dull.
Consideration of Instructional Application: In my classroom, Bella Luna would be a perfect book to pair with a lesson about appreciation and understanding. Students could list things that they think might be less important, then we could go around the room listing reasons why they are necessary and beneficial to have or experience.
40 reviews
September 9, 2013
Beautiful Moon / Bella Luna is an English/Spanish bilingual book about a little girl who wishes that night would never come so that she would have more time in the day to do all of the things she wants to do. She quickly finds out that we need night so that we can rest and so that the grass and trees don't burn up under constant sun. Once she comes to this realization, she appreciates the beauty of the moon.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. The colors are all muted blues, browns, and greens with very little variation from that color scheme. It suits the overall tone of the book which is a little bit dream-like.

The story, however, is nothing special. I think the book may have been written in Spanish first and then translated to English because the English wording just seems unnatural at times. Since I don't speak Spanish, I am unsure if the Spanish wording is more natural.

I think this book would be good for a class that was learning Spanish, or perhaps with ESL students whose native tongue was Spanish. Since every page has both the English and the Spanish translations, and the language is simple, it would be a good way to practice.

(Note: This is one of my picture soak selections)
Profile Image for Vickie.
157 reviews8 followers
October 7, 2019
Beautifully told and illustrated story of a young girl who wants a never ending day. This classic theme of the one who does not want to go to bed at night is expanded with view of how one's actions affect not only oneself, but all surrounding beings and things. I think it could inspire children to think about not only their need for sleep, but respect for the environment and other beings.

Reading it through a second time, I find I like it even more. I agree with another reviewer who said it was poetic. I love the many short sentences that give me the same feeling I get from reading Haiku. Even though this is not Haiku, I like the beautiful rhythm of 1 or 2 ideas and then a pause to think about it, then repeat this pattern.

The only thing I wish were different are minor. When the phrases "in a wink" is given and "the sky begins to peel away" are translated into Spanish, the translations are not wrong, but don't give the full depth of expression. I realize that some expressions are different than in English, but a slightly longer phrase could help.

Overall, I found this book very enjoyable to read. A local children's librarian has used this book in several storytimes over the years and it was always a great hit.
40 reviews
Read
October 6, 2014
Jeffers, D. (2009). Beautiful Moon/ Bella Luna [TumbleBook edition]. Retrieved from Tumblebooks.com

LOV

Tumblebooks

This picture book is about a girl who wishes for a day to never end so that she can do more things during the day. The moon grants her wish, but she finds some problems with the sun being out all the time. The wording of the story is simple and the sentences being read are highlighted red on Tumblebook. The narrator does a great job at setting the mood and the illustrations are lovely to look at. Some of the illustrations even have movement to them. This book can be used in the classroom to teach students about the importance of daytime and nighttime. It is also a good way to show students why it is important for plants to not get too much sunlight. This book could be used in a pk-3rd grade classroom. I loved the illustrations and the narrator did a good job portraying the little girl.
Profile Image for Eileen Carter.
1,627 reviews7 followers
August 2, 2016
This book is well written, but simple enough for young readers to understand and enjoy. The pictures are beautifully drawn with excellent detail. This book teaches an important lesson to the young girl. There is a time for sun and a time for moon, along with what would happen if we didn't have the moon. How the world would be effected. Teachers will enjoy this book as they will be able to use it as a resource in their classroom to help their students learn about the importance of lunar and solar.
38 reviews
December 3, 2012
This book is a wonderful story of why the sun and the moon are so important. This books show the job that each does during the night or day. This is such a cute story that shows sometimes what you wish for may not be what's really best.

I would use this for Kindergarten or 1st grade. The text is pretty easy to understand and the illustrations are excellent. This is such a good way to show why the sun and moon are so important.
Profile Image for Rosa.
1,831 reviews14 followers
April 13, 2013
This story has it’s text written on each page in English and in Spanish. A little girl doesn’t want to go to bed she still has so much to do so the moon decides to stay away and give her some extra hours. Eventually after a full day of fun she grows tired and is ready for the moon to come back. Very little text in each language makes this appropriate for younger readers and lots of fun with beautiful illustrations.
Profile Image for Lauren.
207 reviews
October 9, 2010
Book about a girl who is watching the moon come out, but realizes she needs more time in the day to gets things done. She imagines the moon winks at her and the sun comes back out. After playing in the daylight, she understands that we need the night just as much as we need the day. The sun winks and the moon comes back out.

What do we do at night?
What do we do in the day?
Profile Image for Megan.
1,489 reviews
June 29, 2011
A girl wishes for a day that never ends. The moon winks and grants her wish. She has fun, but then the world turns brown from too much heat, and she gets exhausted but can't stop to rest. Realizing that night is necessary, the girl now appreciates the nighttime.

Beautiful pictures. Will best be appreciated by thoughtful readers.
Profile Image for Siskiyou-Suzy.
2,117 reviews19 followers
March 26, 2019
Interesting. It's sort of a "be careful what you wish for" book. The illustrations are really lovely, and the night seems so calm and peaceful -- I thought that girl was crazy to wish for day over night within the context of this book as night seems so much better. I don't know how well it really teaches a lesson, but it's a lovely book to read.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book659 followers
February 2, 2010
Sweet book that is soothing and has muted, nighttime scenes that will help your child relax and get ready to go to sleep. Perfect to read at bedtime. Our girls enjoyed watching this book read aloud on the "Tumblebooks" online audiobook site (tumblebooks.com).
Profile Image for Jen.
1,060 reviews24 followers
September 25, 2012
I really liked this book about a young girl who watches the moon come out only to wish that there were more hours in the day to get things done. She then realizes that there is a reason we have night time to recharge.
Profile Image for Stefany.
96 reviews11 followers
December 19, 2016
A nice book I used sometimes for my moon & stars storytime. It has both the English and Spanish text, though I kept it to the English for my classrooms. I read it to the 3's-5's. Very nice story with great illustrations.
Profile Image for Angela Nelson.
62 reviews1 follower
October 1, 2012
This book talks about why is is important to have both the day and the night. I love the illustrations.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
1,204 reviews9 followers
August 25, 2013
Spanish and English text about the importance of night. I didn't respond at all to the illustrations, which look like something a teenager would draw.
Profile Image for Kendra.
913 reviews60 followers
August 26, 2013
Wish my Spanish was better so I could tell if the Spanish verse is better than the English. The English feels choppy and mechanical, not at all like the illustrations which are soft and smooth.
Profile Image for Theresa.
7,812 reviews124 followers
January 11, 2015
Beautiful moon. bella luna Dawn Jeffers is a book about what would happen if it was endless day... a little girl finds out the there is a time for everything
Profile Image for Kimberly Ann.
1,658 reviews
February 11, 2016
A well written simple story about what happens when the moon does not rise and daylight prevails for 24 hours. The children were able to follow the story and the illustrations were clear & colorful.
Profile Image for Colette.
1,021 reviews
October 10, 2016
Book a day on TumbleBooks.com, fun book to explain to tired little kids why the day can not last forever, even when they don't seem tired.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.