Night of the Moonjellies

Name: Night of the Moonjellies
Author: Mark Shasha

A story that explores responsibility and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families

Read the Guiding Questions Find this book →

♥ This book teaches: Responsibility. owning your choices and their consequences.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition: doing what needs to be done with sincerity and without resistance or complaining. In short: Do what needs to be done. Summary: This heartwarming story is about an unforgettable day in the life of a seven-year old boy who helps with a family business. After finding some treasures on the beach, he joins his family members at their seaside hotdog stand where they all work hard to serve customers on a very busy day. That night, after the hotdog stand closes, the boy is rewarded unexpectedly with a special boat ride in which he gets to observe one of nature’s delights - the moonjellies that light up the sea! Lesson Objectives:

Inspired by the example of the boy who enjoys helping his family business and is rewarded for his work, students will take more of an interest in finding ways to be responsible at home.
This story can be linked to studies of interesting animals that live in the ocean.

Guiding Questions:

What is the family business in the story?
What jobs does the boy do at his family business?
What did the boy find at the seashore?
Do you think the boy in the story enjoyed working at the hot dog stand? Explain your answer.
Describe the surprise that the grandmother planned for her grandson.
Have you ever seen a jellyfish? If you have, what did it look like?
Have you ever ridden in a boat? What was it like and where did you go?
Does your family have its own business? If not, what do you know about what your parents and grandparents do to make money for family expenses?
Do you think the boy in the story is responsible? Explain your answer.
If you’ve ever been on a beach, what did you see there?

🌿 Virtue Connection: Responsibility means owning what is yours, including your choices.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.