MARGOT AND THE MOON LANDING

Margot is interested in only one thing: space travel.

When she regales others with her knowledge, they steer her attention to other topics (her mother), or are “unimpressed” (her teacher), or would rather play kickball (her friends, a multiracial bunch). One night, Margot wishes she never had to talk about anything but space ever again. And lo—the next morning, she can only recite Neil Armstrong’s famous speech from the 1969 moon landing, greeting her mother with “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” instead of “good morning.” Throughout the day, Margot grows increasingly frustrated, and, that night in her bedroom, she explodes. She writes her feelings on her wall—in marker. But her mother, upon seeing the scrawled-up wall, does not reprimand Margot: She reads what Margot’s written and writes: “I hear you” alongside. The pair repairs the wall—and the relationship—and creates a space for Margot to write her thoughts. “Margot wasn’t sure when exactly her voice came back,” Fitzpatrick writes. “But she was glad she had someone there to hear it.” Medina’s empathetic illustrations skillfully convey Margot’s many emotions—hurt, frustration, anger—with color, expression, and perspective. Both Margot and her mother are brown skinned; their dinner of “dahl and rice” suggests they are of South Asian heritage.

A charming picture book about both a child and her obsessions and frustration, anger, and repair.