Big Birthday

By: Kate Hosford

Narrated by: Intuitive

Length: 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Annabelle is determined to have a birthday party that stands out from the rest. The moon seems like the perfect spot! But wearing spacesuits and partying in a place with no air create some challenges that Annabelle didn't expect. Will her out-of-this-world birthday still be a blast?

Please note: The original source audio for this production includes noise/volume issues. This is the best available audio from the publisher.

©2012 Kate Hosford (P)2020 Lerner Digital ™

Critic reviews

"It's Annabelle's birthday and she wants to have her party on the moon. Her parents hire an astronaut and a rocket ship to fly everyone into space, but Annabelle soon finds out that a trip to the moon is not as exciting as she thought it would be. The lack of gravity makes playing games a challenge, the long flight leaves everyone grumpy and whiny, and the moon dust leaves the cake too dirty to eat. After her new polka-dotted dress tears, Annabelle declares that she wants to go home. While the engaging verse makes this book a lively read-aloud, it is the illustrations that bring the story to life. Clifton-Brown's skillful use of color and texture add depth and humor to the story while the varied text placement adds interest." (Library Media Connection)

"Annabelle is back, and she is tired of having her birthday at the zoo. This year she wants something completely different, so she begs to have a party on the Moon. After some initial hesitation, her parents hire an astronaut and rent a rocket ship, and the partygoers are on their way. But things do not go quite as Annabelle imagined. Her friends get bored on the long trip as their games are too hard to play in zero gravity. Once on the Moon, the hungry guests can't eat the cake because of their helmets, and it gets covered in moondust. After opening her presents, Annabelle tries on her favorite gift, a dress, but it rips going over her spacesuit. 'My birthday,' she cried, 'has become a big mess. I’m not having fun and neither are my guests!' As they head home, Annabelle envisions next year's party - a trip to the backyard in a homemade purple pirate ship. Clifton-Brown's use of color, texture, shadow, and spot-on facial expressions with a bit of mixed-media collage thrown in is a delightful partner to the text. Varying fonts and text placement within the illustrations add a nice touch to the story. Hosford's rhyming text is fun to read, and kids will enjoy hearing about a great idea gone wrong." (School Library Journal)