Books
Impossible Moon
A young girl undertakes an impossible trip to the moon, makes friends with the stars, and brings back something priceless in this gentle and lyrically told picture book about family, history, and memory.
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. With the support of her new friends, Mable reaches for her biggest dream yet: to make her sick grandma well again.
2023 by the Georgia Center for the Book
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best List for 2022
Reviews for Impossible Moon
“This elegant, lyrical picture book is a contemplative and curative journey into a world of possibilities.”
– Booklist, 6/1/22
“McDaniel’s deliberate storytelling draws thoughtfully on history and mythology while centering Black representation among the stars. Through Mable, this spin on a star story offers a positive example of the importance of reaching for the impossible.”
– Publishers Weekly, 8/15/2022
“Black girl magic to the moon and back. “
– Kirkus Reviews, 2/15/2022
“The potential of Black children is limitless--a reality expressed on every page of the astral Impossible Moon. Breanna J. McDaniel fuses emotional intelligence with scientific knowledge as her young protagonist, Mable, journeys through constellations.”
-ShelfAwareness, Rachel Werner, 11/18/2022
Hands Up!
This triumphant picture book celebrates Black joy by reclaiming a charged phrase and showing readers how resistance can be part of their everyday lives.
A young Black girl lifts her baby hands up to greet the sun, reaches her hands up for a book on a high shelf, and raises her hands up in praise at a church service. She stretches her hands up high like a plane's wings and whizzes down a hill so fast on her bike with her hands way up. As she grows, she lives through everyday moments of joy, love, and sadness. And when she gets a little older, she joins together with her family and her community in a protest march, where they lift their hands up together in resistance and strength.
2021 First Novelist Honor Book
2019 by the Georgia Center for the Book
