Hi, friends! I’m currently attending a family reunion in Taiwan, so I’ve invited Sue Soltis to share about her and illustrator Sonia Sánchez’s new book, The Moon Moved In. Thank you, Sue! Here is a snippet from the publisher’s description:
What would happen if the moon moved in next door? A funny and original story about an unexpected friendship, the essential role of the moon, and our power to connect, even from far away.
I love the premise of this book and the art is gorgeous. Please check it out! And now, I’ll turn it over to Sue…
I’m honored to be here to write about the The Moon Moved In, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez. This is my third picture book.
Let’s start at right now, with the finished book out in the world. It made its debut at the American Library Association conference in Philadelphia late June. I think it was a strong debut – don’t you want to know what would happen if the moon moved in next door?
At the ALA, it was a treat to be reminded so strongly – through the presence of so many picture books, panel discussions with masters of the form, and the sheer energy of crowds of people who love books (of all kinds) – how great picture books are, how the words and illustrations work together to tell a story, and that the illustrations alone tell a story too. And though I’m not qualified to talk about my book’s illustrations in depth or that process, The Moon Moved In came from my imagination and Sonia Sánchez’s imagination too.
It is such a huge and strange thing that two imaginations can create in tandem, from halfway around the world, hinging on the words of a story dreamed up quite a while ago. And that two characters can be brought to life, with their own imaginations and the words they say, on the page but also off the page, in the imagination of the reader—where the Moon and Stella might say something more to each other, a scrap of dialog never imagined by me….
The beginning
But back to the beginning or beginnings, which for me is language itself and sound: Hammered into my head from lots of college poetry workshops is the word “sonic,” the way words break and fall on the page, the rhythm of speech. My stories almost always start with a title that I like the sound of, that I remember and hope everyone else will too. If you can’t write a captivating title, can you write a captivating book? In short, it’s the title that draws the reader in, and maybe the writer too.
The other sort of beginning is me sitting down to write maybe not in a tree anymore like when I was 12. (But even now l wish for an office perched in the big ash tree out back. I would have a bird’s eye view and be among the blue jays, the woodpeckers, and the chickadees that flutter like nymphs.) Birds aside, I write alone (kind of like the Moon in the sky). But perhaps not entirely alone, because if there are not truly readers in the room, there are ghost-like ones beside me. And, there is the critic waiting in the shadows.
There is, too, some say, the child you once were, but this is not exactly right to me. She is there, yet it feels more as though who I am now was once that child, writing poems in a Snoopy notebook, and passionately devouring books. Maybe this is because for me the beginning is language. As opposed to a story I want to tell. As opposed to something I want to get across. As opposed to characters talking to me. It might become all these things along the way. I think The Moon Moved In did!
Here’s an example of where I struggled with language in the story. Somewhere between the first draft and the final publisher-accepted manuscript, I became sort of a native plant fanatic, so I tried and failed to replace the word “begonia.” I liked the way it sounded too much. At least begonias do attract some random pollinators, which relates to the plot, where facts start to matter as much as sound.
And what are those dung beetles doing anyway?
It is of course not factual that the Moon would notice real estate signs on Earth and come down for reasons that have nothing to do with anyone but the Moon. But while it’s imagination that draws the reader into this bizarre scenario, it’s facts that bring about Stella’s uncertainty. Something is perhaps not right so Stella searches for answers. She gathers up facts and connects them to her world and the wider world, and she uses them to enrich her imagination. Are dung beetles really affected by the moon? And how? And when Stella answers these questions, what will she do with her knowledge? She will need to make a choice.
In The Moon Moved In, facts and imagination enliven and play against each other, just as they do (we hope) in the world we inhabit daily.
Back to those dung beetles: The ones on the page are not dung beetles that Stella finds in her yard. (There are none; they live far away.) They are also not the dung beetles, exactly, from Stella’s research. Instead, they are the dung beetles of Stella’s imagination. To go a little further: They are, more precisely, the dung beetles that I imagined Stella imagines, and that Sonia Sánchez imagined yet again.
While I began with sound and ended in facts, I believe the heart of this book is the story. I think through the telling and hearing of stories, we make connections to the larger world, mirroring characters like Stella, who’s making her own connections – to her yard, to the Earth, to the universe. She uses logic to make these connections, so we learn some logic. We also learn how to tell a story, because every story is a retelling of some kind, as in the reimagined little tale of the dung beetles inside the tale of Stella and the Moon.
So, The Moon Moved In contains curiosity, discovery, and imagination. And this might lead a reader to pick up this book. A reader who likes to learn about space and the moon. A reader who likes to imagine. A reader who perhaps likes to climb trees or draw. Or maybe a reader who just wonders what the story is – what would happen if the moon moved in, right next door?
Sue and her publisher, Chronicle Books, are offering a giveaway of one copy of The Moon Moved In to one lucky reader in the continental U.S. Please comment below by July 31st to enter.
Sue Soltis’ third picture book The Moon Moved In, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez (Chronicle Books, July 2025) received starred reviews from School Libray Journal (“VERICT…a must-purchase”), Kirkus Reviews, and BookPage; and advance praise from Caldecott Honor–winning author-illustrator Aaron Becker. Out in 2020, her picture book The Stars Just Up the Street, illustrated by Christine Davenier (Candlewick Press, 2020), was part of NC Statewide Star Party (NC SciFest, 2023), and listed on International Dark-Sky Association’s “Dark Sky Book Lists For Your Reading Pleasure” (2021). Her first picture book Nothing Like a Puffin, illustrated by Bob Kolar (Candlewick Press, 2011), celebrated 10 years in print with a paperback edition in 2021! Sue lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her family. More at suesoltis.com.
Sonia Sánchez is the illustrator of Here I Am, for which she was nominated for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for interior art, and Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away. She has been selected twice to participate in the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. She lives with her husband, son, and a sleepyhead cat in Barcelona, Spain.
This book sounds absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to read it! I love the discussion of language in this post–“sonic,” rhythm, and titles that have that certain something. Thank you and congrats!
Thank you so much for reading this,Claire! I hope you enjoy the book:-)
I’m really interested in how your facts are woven into this imaginative story. That is something every writer needs to know. I look forward to reading your book:)
Hi Judith— For me, it’s somewhat intrinsic. In other words, I didn’t start out thinking -how do I get moon facts to readers; instead, the facts in the story evolved through how Stella was thinking about things. On other hand, writing the moon facts for the endpapers was hard, and I thought: this is why I don’t write non-fiction. Thanks for reading!
What a gorgeous looking book!
Thank you!
What a gorgeous looking book.
Oooo, I have been looking forward to this book! Intrigued by the cover and after reading the backstory, the imagination!
That’s lovely to hear. Thanks for reading the post Robin!
The facts woven throughout this gorgeous book are intriguing and I am excited to read this book. I’m curious how Stella makes connections are talks to the moon.
Thanks for reading Danielle. They start out by saying hello! I hope you enjoy the book.
Looks lovely & the art is gorgeous–congrats!!
Thanks so much M.! Love Sonia Sánchez’s art too.
Looks wonderful. I can’t wait to read in full. Congratulations!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the book.
I love what you’ve written here, Sue! And the illustrations are gorgeous! I’m looking forward to reading and gifting it.
Thanks so much for reading Susan!!
I am so disappointed that I did not know about this book sooner or I would have looked for you at the ALA conference! I am a public school librarian in Durham, NC, right up the road from you. This is a book I would love to share with the students at our school. I love that it has multiple messages and that each reader will love it for different reasons. Thanks for creating a beautiful book for children (and grown-ups too)! Maybe we can have you as a guest author soon too?
Hi Paula, I wish too! But yes, let’s connect. Please check out my website for local events and contact info. or find me on Facebook or instagram. Thanks for reading my post!
Ohhh! I want this book. It looks (& sounds) so whimsical. What a great concept.
Thanks for reading Becki!
歡迎回到台灣 Welcome back to Taiwan.
This post resonated with me in so many ways. Sue, I absolutely love any story relating to the moon and the idea of having it move in next door is beyond delicious, even now. Years ago, my child self would have been in heaven :). No pun intended.
Looking forward to reading this to the little ones in my life. And sharing it far and wide.
And all the best to both you and Sonia. Keep creating more wonderful picture books like this one!!
Thanks so much for reading my post and sharing my book. I hope to &: we’ll see!
Very cool premise! Magical! Congratulations!
Thanks Angie!
I really love the art, and the joy and playfulness of the story. Now I have to know what happened when the moon moved in!
I love the art too. Yes- I hope you get to find out!
What a great looking book! Intriguing! Need to add this to my daughter’s classroom library for her students to read.
Thanks for sharing it Amy.
This book sounds and looks intriguing Look forward to checking it out!
Thanks for reading about it here & I hope you enjoy the book!
Wow! Wow! WOW!…Such a gorgeous cover. Such a sweet story. I love it!
Thank you Kathy. I do love the cover too!
This is such an original idea. Now I need to see the endpapers!
Thanks for reading Sherry! &: the endpapers also have a nice moon map.
This looks beautiful. Huge congrats!
Thanks so much Rebecca!
What a fun title and concept! I always struggle to come up with good titles. Any tips?
Thank you Mary. I brainstorm titles so I have many many I never use. My advice would be to try that (without any pressure that the title be good) and also maybe start with “What if?” And look for books you like the title of and become absorbed in reading, including the titles!
Looks gorgeous. Going on my library request list
Thank you Svapna. Appreciate the support!
As a mom of two kids in the “why?” Phase, the mix of research and imagination in the story sounds delightful.
Thank you Kate!