Take a magical journey to the moon tonight! Meet the happy children, friendly aliens and join the party! Then fly home to your bed on a soft, fluffy pancake!
I met Ana Nac when I attended the London Book Fair back in March and was thrilled when she gifted me a tote bag containing her book, Pancakes to the Moon. Although my own children are older now, I work in a primary school with the younger pupils and take a keen interest in stories written for this age group.
Pancakes to the Moon tells a wonderful story about four children who look out at the stars in the night sky and see a fluffy pancake staircase leading to the moon. Naturally, they can't resist following where the pancakes take them and end up having a magical adventure, where they meet the moon-chief, a friendly girl called Bamba who has braids made of liquorice and enjoy lots of sweet treats with the partying aliens who live there.
The illustrations in Pancakes to the Moon are absolutely charming and complement the story beautifully. I'm sure young children will really enjoy seeing what treats they can spot and they're bound to love the aliens - particularly those with huge waffle cone hats! I loved the diversity in the pictures too; the dedication at the start of the book says, 'For YOU and everyone who loves adventure!' and the illustrations certainly support that.
Several - although not all - of the lines rhyme but it flows well throughout making it a pleasure to real aloud. It would be a fabulous story to read in class on Shrove Tuesday and could also inspire a number of classroom activities and discussions - some teachers and parents might wish to talk about how to sensibly include all the sugary treats here in a healthy, balanced diet! The story itself is a simple tale without any conflict making it a lovely, gentle picture book to share with little ones before bedtime.
There are two more moon stories to enjoy after Pancakes to the Moon - The Moon is Closed and Holidays on the Moon and I'm sure both are equally as delightful.
Pancakes to the Moon is published by Fun Space Books and can be purchased from the following;
Amazon UK
Waterstones
Foyles
About the Author
Ana Nac is a human rights lawyer, academic, writer and poet. She is the author of new children’s picture book ‘Pancakes to the Moon’ and the founder of ‘FunSpace Books’.
Fun Space Books was founded in 2018 by Ana Nac with the aim to create a high-quality collection of children’s picture books. Our mission is to bring diversity, education and creativity to adventures for young readers which encourage friendship, imagination and kindness.
Writing stories has been a passion for Ana since she was a young child, her curious young mind spending hours dreaming up adventures, adding in crazy characters. This childhood love developed in to a passion for storytelling and the use of language to fuel the imagination.
These are magical stories filled with adventure and surprises for the youngest readers.
Born in Vilnius, raised and educated in Oxford, Ana lives in Oxfordshire with her bubbly family.
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Writing stories has been a passion of mine since I was a young child. Listening to stories and then retelling them with my own twist was a skill I practised with great pleasure on all of my friends, family members and anyone I found myself spending time with. I could not get enough answers to why, how, when, maybe. There is an endless world of possibilities. My dream was to embark on an infinite route to what ifs.
2.What inspires your writing?
A story can begin and end in a thousand different ways.I relish in the possibilities out there and in the knowledge that a teddy bear, or a pin or a child eating a doughnut on a park bench can start a magical adventure that can have any ending you chose to give it. Power of exploration that is endless is one of the greatest inspirations to be me. The universe around us and simple actions in everyday life.
3.Is there a reason for the focus on space in your stories?
Space offers a lot of opportunity to explore the unknown and embrace the universe around us. Much like children I am fascinated with the moon, stars and black holes, aliens, spaceships and space travel. Not all of my books will be about space but I find it such an inspiring topic. Every space is an opportunity for a fun story.
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