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"It is my story, Mama," said Imani. "I am the girl who touched the moon and was welcomed by Olapa. I am the one who believed (pp. 17)." I really liked the idea of the story coming full circle regarding the oral tradition, concluding with Imani's Tale of the Girl who Touched the Moon story.

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I really liked how they included the cultural fashion in the illustrations, as well as the village, the warriors, the dancing, etc. that represented culture.

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The image that stood out to me was when Imani was standing on the moon with the goddess! It was very beautiful and showed Imani's perseverance. I thought that "A challenge is only impossible until someone accomplishes it" was also a great quote to go along with this!

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One of my adult students from Kenya shared how important performing the adumu is in her culture. This dance put the story into perspective for me. Not only did Imani want to touch the moon, but she also wanted to fit in.

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“Today, I will touch the moon” (Brown-Wood, 7).

I love her confidence here. It shows how people were bringing her down and were telling her should wouldn't succeed/were picking on her, but she is gaining the strength and confidence to put that behind her and be true to who she is. She is learning that through herself and her mother.

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I love the illustration on pages 22 and 23, I love how it shows Imani almost reaching the moon, but has the owl next to her with doubts. It shows that she has almost reached her dream, despite the challenges and doubts.

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“But like a warrior she jumped higher than each jump before. In her mind she could hear only the cheers and chants of her proud village. She could see only herself as one of the warriors, rising from the earth. She kept her eyes on the moon above and felt herself getting closer. With a final push of her legs, Imani jumped once more and soared through the night sky.” (p. 23-24)

This quote stood out to me because it teaches children to persevere

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I think it is really interesting that the size of the main character is what made people underestimate her. I never thought of it before this conversation, but it could very well be alluding to how sometimes woman hove to overcome societal expectations that can make them feel small. It could also simply serve as a catalyst for the story. Regardless, it is a book that features a strong, determined main character which is a great message for young students.

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Some illustrations that stood out to me were the ones that really highlighted the setting and showed where Imani lives. I think these helped the text because it showed where Imani got all of her inspiration from when she was talking about jumping to the moon, or when she was speaking with Olapa. I also loved how bright and vivid the illustrations were.

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I think that the last page of the story has my favorite quote. "It is my story Mama,: said Imani. "I am the girl who touched the moon and was welcomed by Olapa. I am the one who believed." I think this quote really helps to get the message of the book about. Imani was smaller than everyone and because of that people told her that she could not accomplish her dreams but she proved them wrong by believing in herself.

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The image that stood out to me the most was the image of the people in the village dancing. I really liked seeing this and I think it is a great visual for students to see and be exposed to different cultures.

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"'You-ooh can't do-ooh that! Give up! Give up!' mocked Sokwe".

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"'You-ooh can't do-ooh that! Give up! Give up!' mocked Sokwe".

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Despite being told by the other people and animals in the village that she could not do something, Imani persevered and was able to achieve her goals. This shows that we do not have to listen to other people and as long as we believe in ourselves, we can do whatever we want to - this idea of a strong female main character.

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Something that stuck out to me was the importance of the warrior dance (pages 18&19). They were performing the adumu, the jumping dance, and her village cheered for them and showed their approval and support. This acceptance from her tribe seems like something Imani longs for. I wonder if this is her reasoning for attempting to touch the moon, just because she feels like it will gain her that acceptance.

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The illustrations with the bright beautiful colors of their dresses and Imani showing off her wings she made were my favorite illustrations. They were very childlike and beautiful. I think the author is trying to disprove stereotypes throughout the book showing that when you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything. I think her meeting Opala really stood out to me as well. She had a female role model to look up to.

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I think the picture of the snake showed a great depiction of temptation with the picture of it swinging down from the tree in Imani's face. Temptation in the sense of trying to convince Imani that she could not reach her goal.

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“‘I am going to touch the moon!’, Imani called.” (Brown-Wood, 4:48).

This quote also enforces the idea that children seeing/hearing about characters they can identify with in literature can inspire them. Despite bullies, Imani fully believed that she could touch the moon after hearing the story about the spider who was small like herself, but still did big things.

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Something that stood out to me was how much of a hype woman her mother was. Imani came home multiple times doubting herself, but her mother never wanted her to feel like she couldn't accomplish something. So I think that repetition of telling Imani she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to is very helpful and a good idea to put into children's heads.

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"Going to catch a ride on a beetle's back?"

The illustration that goes along with this text is impactful. I get the sense that Imani is really being bullied.

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‘“A challenge is only impossible until someone accomplishes it,” Mama said. “Imani, it is only you who must believe,’”(Brown-Wood).

I liked this quote because I believe it does a great job of explaining perseverance and never giving up on your goal. Although there will be people who stand in your way, your opinion is the only one that matters.