Written by María Cristina Moro

SUGAR
MOON
Luna de Azúcar
Written by María
Cristina Moro
Illustrated by Mónica Moro
Sponsored by
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SUGAR
MOON
Luna de Azúcar
Written by María Cristina Moro
Illustrated by Mónica Moro
Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Mónica Moro
Published by
Monarca Press
Infinity Insurance
PO Box 830189
Birmingham, AL 35283-0189
Press Editor: Margarita Hernández Contreras
ReadConmigo.org
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from
the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper,
magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without
written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 978-0-9883613-3-1
Cover illustration by Mónica Moro
Printed in the United States of America
1
"Kids, please eat your vegetables!" says Mom. "Veggies make you healthy and strong." Lisa and
Martin are not convinced. The children don't like carrots and broccoli. They would rather have
chocolate cake, ice cream, and sweets!
Lisa and Martin sit quietly and stare at their plates. They hope for some kind of magic POOF
that makes vegetables disappear!
"¡Niños, coman los vegetales por favor!", dice Mamá. "Los vegetales los harán crecer fuertes y
sanos". Pero Lisa y Martín no están convencidos. A los niños no les gustan las zanahorias ni el
brócoli. ¡Preferirían pastel de chocolate, helados y dulces!
Los niños observan sus platos sentaditos y en silencio. Esperan que por arte de magia, ¡PUF!,
los vegetales desaparezcan.
2
3
Lisa and Martin stare out the window. What if the wind could blow the vegetables off the
table? Or maybe their favorite superhero could fly in and take the vegetables far, far away!
Then they gaze at the table. Perhaps a genie could come out of a bottle and grant them a wish.
Or maybe a nice green monster will pop out of the cup and gobble up the broccoli.
But nothing happens! There is no magic, no superhero, no monster, no genie, and not even a
gust of wind. Reluctantly, they decide to finish their meals. One bite at a time, they finally finish
the vegetables. Then, they quickly jump up from the table and run outside to play.
Lisa y Martín miran a la ventana atentos: ¡tal vez sople un viento fuerte y barra todos los
vegetales! ¡O quizás su superhéroe favorito entre volando y se los lleve bien lejos!
Entonces miran fijo a la mesa: ¿qué tal si sale un genio de la botella y les concede un deseo? O
quizás salte del vaso un amable monstruo verde y se devore el brócoli.
¡Pero no pasa nada! No hay magia, ni superhéroe, ni monstruo, ni genio, ni tampoco viento.
Con desgano, deciden terminar su almuerzo. Poquito a poco, comen hasta acabarlo todo. Por fin,
se levantan apurados y corren a jugar afuera.
4
5
"I have an idea," says Martin. "Let's build our own rocket and travel to space!"
"That's a perfect idea!" says Lisa. "Let's visit Sugar Moon, where people eat candy for breakfast,
cookies for lunch, ice cream for supper, and chocolate all the time!"
They gather a big box, tape, scissors, markers, brushes, and paint. They cut holes for the door
and the windows while making two triangles for the wings. Next, they draw a big panel with
switches and knobs. It’s very hard work, but they're happy. The spaceship looks great!
Finally, they paint it silver with red and white stripes. When everything is ready, they climb
aboard and start the countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Blast off!!!
"Tengo una idea", dice Martín. "¡Construyamos un cohete y viajemos al espacio!"
"¡Genial!", dice Lisa. "¡Podemos ir a un planeta llamado Luna de Azúcar, donde la gente come
caramelos para el desayuno, galletas para el almuerzo, helado para la cena y chocolates todo el
tiempo!"
Buscan una caja bien grande, cinta adhesiva, tijeras, fibras, pinceles y acuarelas. Recortan una
puerta y ventanas, y hacen dos triángulos para las alas. Luego dibujan llaves y botones para el
panel de control. Aunque les da trabajo, los niños están contentos. ¡El cohete está quedando
perfecto!
Finalmente, lo pintan de plateado con franjas rojas y blancas. Cuando por fin está listo, suben
abordo y cuentan: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ¡Fuera!
6
7
The rocket soars through the sky, past planets and stars until finally it touches down. "Mission
accomplished! Hello, Sugar Moon!"
"Martin, do you see any moon people?" asks Lisa.
"No, Lisa. I don't see anyone yet," says Martin. "But look! There's a house over there!"
The children start to moon walk slowly towards the house.
Navegan por el espacio, pasando planetas y estrellas hasta que finalmente aterrizan. "¡Misión
cumplida! ¡Hola, Luna de Azúcar!"
"Martín, ¿algún marciano a la vista?", pregunta Lisa.
"No, Lisa. No veo a nadie todavía", dice Martín. "¡Mira! ¡Allá hay una casa!"
Con lentos pasos lunares, los niños avanzan hacia la casa.
8
9
Lisa and Martin knock. "Who do you think lives in this place?" asks Lisa. Just then, a curious
moon creature opens the door. She looks like their mom with a funny moon hat. She cheerfully
greets them with a super big smile.
"Oh, hello! Welcome, space travelers! Don’t be afraid. Come on inside!"
Lisa y Martín tocan a la puerta. "¿Quién vivirá en este sitio?", pregunta Lisa. Una extraña
criatura les abre la puerta. Se parece a su mamá con un chistoso sombrero espacial. Alegremente
los saluda con una enorme sonrisa.
"¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos, astronautas! No tengan miedo. ¡Adelante!"
10
11
"You arrived just in time!" says the moon mother. "I was about to fix supper. Would you like
to stay?"
"Well thank you! Are you making chocolate cake?" guessed the two children, excitedly clapping
their hands.
"Oh, no. I'm sorry, my dears. No sweets are allowed in this place," replies the space mom.
"Why? We are on the Sugar Moon!" says Martin.
"Well, let me tell you our story so you will understand. On this planet, there was once a time
when all we ever ate were cookies, candies, ice cream, cakes, and everything sweet in the whole
universe. But there was a problem! Our bellies grew too big. Our teeth ached and began to fall
out. We were cranky all the time. We became sick and unhappy. Eventually, the moon doctors
made a decree. 'There must be much less sugar on our tables, you see.' So, we piled it outside
until the whole place was covered. And that, my young friends, is how our moon got its name."
"¡Llegaron justo a tiempo!", les dice la mamá de la luna, "porque estaba a punto de preparar la
cena. ¿Desean quedarse?"
"¡Gracias! ¿Vamos a comer pastel de chocolate?", adivinan los niños aplaudiendo contentos.
"Ay no, amiguitos, cuánto lo siento. Aquí no se comen dulces", responde la mamá de la luna.
"Pero ¿cómo es posible? ¡Si estamos en la Luna de Azúcar!", protesta Martín.
"Déjenme que les cuente esta historia, así entenderán. Hubo un tiempo en este planeta
cuando solo comíamos galletas, caramelos, helados, pasteles y las cosas más dulces de todo el
universo. Pero empezaron los problemas. Nos pusimos muy gordos, nos dolían los dientes y
comenzaron a caérsenos. Nos enfermábamos mucho y nos sentíamos infelices. Finalmente, los
doctores lunares decretaron que: 'Debe haber mucho menos azúcar en nuestras mesas'. Así que
empezamos a amontonarla afuera hasta que todo quedo cubierto. Y de este modo, amiguitos, es
cómo nuestra Luna de Azúcar obtuvo su nombre".
12
13
That's not what Lisa and Martin expected to hear. "No sugar, you said? That's too bad!"
"Cheer up, kids. We still have birthday cakes and holiday candies! And once in a blue moon,
it's okay to have a treat. Now, let me show you our Sugar Moon menu! You will love it! Let's
cook! Please wash your hands. Then put on aprons and hats."
The moon mother hands out spoons, bowls, and dishes. She brings out moon carrots, space
broccoli, and other colorful food.
"They look like Earth veggies!" says Martin, confused.
"Don't judge a book by its cover. Wait and see!"
The space kids went on with the moon recipe.
Esta no es la historia que Martín y Lisa esperaban. “¿Nada de dulces? ¡Qué desilusión!”
"¡Ánimo, amigos!", los consuela la mamá de la luna. "¡Todavía comemos pasteles y caramelos
en días festivos! Y muy de vez en cuando, está bien comer un dulce. Ahora dejen que les enseñe
el menú de la Luna de Azúcar. ¡Les va a encantar! ¡Vamos a cocinar! Por favor lávense las manos
y luego, a ponerse el delantal y el gorro".
La mamá de la luna reparte cucharas, tazones y platos. Ella trae las zanahorias lunares, los
brócolis espaciales y otros alimentos de muchos colores.
"¡Se parecen a los vegetales que comemos en la Tierra!", exclama Martín confundido.
"No hay que juzgar por las apariencias. ¡Esperen y verán!", dice la mamá de la luna.
Así los niños astronautas siguieron con la receta lunar.
14
15
Lisa samples a spoonful. Martin nibbles it too. They can’t believe that it tastes so good! "We do
like your dinner, Mrs. Moon Mom!" approved the kids, surprised.
The kids thanked Mrs. Moon Mom and waved her goodbye. They got back on their rocket
and took off to space! They can't wait to tell Mom about their adventure, as well as the fun and
healthy recipe they've learned.
Lisa prueba un bocado. Martín da un pequeño mordisco. ¡No pueden creerlo! ¡Qué rico! "Nos
gusta mucho su cena, Señora Mamá de la Luna", declaran los niños, asombrados.
Los niños agradecen a la mamá de la luna y se despiden felices. Regresan al cohete y ¡parten al
espacio! Están ansiosos por contarle a Mamá su aventura y poder enseñarle la receta saludable y
divertida que han aprendido.
16
Comprehension Questions
Preguntas de Comprensión
This page is dedicated to all the teachers and parents who took the time to provide us with
valuable feedback. Thank you!
Dedicamos esta página a todos los padres y maestros que se tomaron la molestia de compartir sus
comentarios con nosotros.
- Review the following questions with your child.
Repase las siguientes preguntas con su hijo(a).
- Be patient and let your child respond first before talking them through the answers.
Tenga paciencia y deje que su hijo(a) conteste antes de repasar juntos las respuestas.
1
What is the title of this book? Please point to it.
¿Cuál es el título de este libro? Señala el título con el dedo.
2
What are the names of the author and illustrator? Find their names and point to them.
¿Cuáles son los nombres de la autora y de la ilustradora? Señala sus nombres con el dedo.
3
Who are the main characters in this book?
¿Quiénes son los personajes principales del libro?
4
What happens in the beginning of this story?
¿Qué pasa al principio del cuento?
5
What happens at the end of this story?
¿Qué pasa al final del cuento?
6
What lesson did you learn from this story?
¿Qué aprendiste de este cuento?
7
What was your favorite part of this story and why?
¿Cuál es tu parte favorita de este cuento y por qué?
8
If you could change one thing about this story, what would it be?
Si pudieras cambiar algo de este cuento, ¿qué sería?
Rainbow Kabobs Recipe
1
Choose some vegetables and fruits for each color of the rainbow
and cut them in small pieces.
Veggies:
Red: tomatoes, red pepper
Orange: carrots, orange pepper
Yellow: corn, squash, yellow pepper
Green: broccoli, squash
Purple: purple cabbage
Fruits:
Red: strawberries, watermelon, cherries, raspberries
Orange: melon, oranges, tangerines
Yellow: mango, pineapple, apple
Green: kiwis, green grapes, honeydew melon
Blue/Purple: grapes, blueberries, blackberries
2
Now skewer the vegetables in rainbow color order, and then do
the same with the fruits.
3
You can eat them like that, or you can dip the vegetables in
melted cheese and the fruit in plain yogurt.
4
Enjoy and have fun!
scissors tijeras
brushes pinceles
planet
planeta
sugar
azúcar
vegetables
vegetales
spoons cucharas
bowls tazones
knife
cuchillo
María Cristina Moro spent her childhood in Argentina. She graduated
with a B.A. in Language and Literature from the University of Buenos Aires and
then moved to the United States, where she obtained a Certificate in Translation
from George Mason University. Since then, her professional life has been a
journey devoted to uniting American and Hispanic language and culture as a
translator of educational materials and as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking
Hispanic families in the United States. All along, she has nourished her passion
for literature by reading and writing poetry and short stories inspired mainly by
her husband and her two children. She has now authored several Read Conmigo
books.
MÓNICA moro lives in a small town near Buenos Aires, Argentina with her
two young daughters. She graduated from the Martín Malharro School of Visual
Arts in Mar del Plata where she studied Art and Education. Her life is dedicated
to painting and teaching art workshops. Her work has received numerous local
awards and can be seen in many galleries around the city. Monica has served as
the illustrator for several Read Conmigo books.
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Lisa samples a spoonful. Martin nibbles it too. They can't believe that it
tastes so good!
Lisa prueba un bocado. Martín da un pequeño mordisco. ¡No pueden
creerlo! ¡Qué rico!