Send Messages to Your Loved Ones Through the Moon
“The moon is a loyal companion.
It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.
Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.”
― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me
Julia Inserro is an author and mom of three living abroad with her husband. A mere six months after their wedding, Julia and her husband expatriated to Cairo, Egypt and have since lived in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain.
She says on her website,
“I will admit there were a lot of tears on that flight; I’d given up my career, my home, my friends, my family, and all semblance of life as I knew it to follow this crazy, lovable man to what felt like the ends of the earth.”
We hopped on a Zoom video call together to chat about her first book, Nonni’s Moon, and I got to learn more about the inspiration behind the children’s illustrated story and how kids everywhere—living abroad or not—will be able to relate to loving someone who is far away.
What’s the inspiration behind Nonni’s Moon?
“Nonni is my mom (my kids’ maternal grandmother) and when she was picking “grandma names” she picked Nonni. Two years ago, we moved to Bahrain and we talk with my mother every few days.
On one of the calls, she mentioned to my daughter how they get to see the exact same moon even though we live far away from one another.
The story is about using the moon as an anchor point and sending messages to the ones you love. My kids gaze up at the moon and think of the person they love. When that person looks up at the moon, they’ll receive those messages.”
Why your kids will love Nonni’s Moon
The illustrations by Lucy Smith are really vivid and I love how they extend across the pages to display life in both countries separated by hours in time. As someone who lives six hours ahead of her parents, I can definitely relate to calling before dinner time when the other person is just getting their day started.
A simple story that connects
At the end of the day, Nonni’s Moon is all about family and creating a unique coping mechanism to help bridge the distance that we often feel between our family members.
If you’ve lost family members, this book may give you an idea to help your children cope by communicating with your lost loved ones via the moon. Julia even offers up a solution when her daughter can’t find the moon behind the cloudy night sky.
Nonni’s Moon is about the everlasting connection and love we feel for our loved ones no matter where we live on this planet and is beautifully executed.
Support a fellow mom abroad by reading and reviewing her book
Click here to pre-order Nonni’s Moon coming in July 2018. Visit Julia Inserro’s website to learn more about her writing at https://www.juliainserro.com/
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book for review purposes but the opinions are my own.
