Back Matter Break Down: Impossible Moon

Welcome to the Back Matter Break Down! I stepped away from the blog over the summer, but I’m back at it again and excited to look at the back matter from a lovely, lyrical book. Let’s dive in!

Book: Impossible Moon

Author: Breanna J. McDaniel

Illustrator: Tonya Engel

Publisher / Year: Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022

Genre: Fiction

Topics: Stars, Constellations, Black History, Mythology

Blurb: Grana used to tell the best stories, and Mable used to long to soar through the heavens. Nowadays, Grana mostly lies in bed and Mable stays close to home. But one day, Grana asks, “If we can touch the moon, then what is impossible?”

So Mable decides to do just that, embarking on a journey through the stars where The Seven Sistahs, The Big Dipper, and other constellations help her on her quest and teach her about African mythology and African American history. With the support of her new companions, Mable reaches for her biggest dream yet: to make her sick grandma well again.

Book Word Count: about 679

Back Matter Word Count: about 1200

Back Matter Sections

1. Authors Note (about 600 words)

In author Breanna J. McDaniel’s note, she starts off by sharing how her own experience with her ailing grandmother became the initial spark for this story. She continues by detailing how her research led to see how Black characters and history were traditionally overlooked in presentations about stars and constellations. McDaniel notes that the movie Black Panther helped inspire her vision of the constellations as Black characters interacting with a young Black girl who loves astronomy. Finally, she shares her hope that Mable’s story will inspire young readers to love of science and keep dreaming in the impossible.

2. The Impossible Moon Sky (about 650 words)

In this section, McDaniel gives readers more information about astronomy and constellations that are presented in the story. She starts off with an introduction (about 200 words) that explains what constellations are. This section tells how constellations have been used by humans throughout history, including the fact that there are many stories that have been passed down about to constellations.

From there, the author highlights the seven constellations that she depicts in the book (about 450 words). She explains the origins of their names as well as some mythology that has traditionally been associated with the constellation. McDaniel also explains how she approached the depictions in the story as she highlighted the constellations importance to Black people throughout history. It’s extra insightful that she sometimes explains the symbolism behind her depictions that might not be immediately understood in a first reading by some.

Takeaways: Breanna J. McDaniel’s backmatter gives readers insight into her creative process as she was coming up with the themes and deeper meanings into this story. Readers who dive into her author note and explanations about the constellations will see the writer’s mind at work adding layers of meaning to her story. Especially for young readers, they may be surprised to learn of the symbolism and hidden meanings that McDaniel has infused into her story. This likely adds to the pleasure of re-reading the book as kids will be able to appreciate the story on another level while examining how Tonya Engel’s dreamy illustrations draw out these themes.

Tips: Let readers go behind-the-scenes on your creative process. As they understand what inspired your writing, how you pivoted to new ideas, or how research led you into surprising places, it will add to their appreciation of your story’s layers. If your story has symbolism, don’t shy away from explaining their meanings in your back matter. You will be equipping kids to understand how to analyze text at their own level, and I’m sure many educators will love to have such books to use as teaching examples for their students.

Thank you for reading! Leave a comment to keep the conversation going or to suggest a book for future blog posts!

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