With our #ReadItMD13 Theme Week in mind, stretching our hands up to space it's time to dive into a very special book.

Mark Haddon, local author and the genius behind "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" has turned his hand to children's books for a look back at that heady summer of 1969 and the first man on the moon.

I was a 1 year old baby, so I was more concerned with how many Farley's Rusks I could cram into my maw but the author writes a story that sounds semi-autobiographical of the time as a young schoolboy avidly follows the Apollo 11 moon mission, watching as the first flickering black and white images come back from the moon.

Mark's prose is beautiful, the sort of book that not only educates children about the moon landings but lets their imaginations fly right up to the stars. The young boy dreams vivid dreams about joining the astronauts on the moon, setting up the flag to mark mankind's giant leap to its nearest neighbour, and bouncing around in zero gravity.

Like most space books it feels like it's tinged with sadness, perhaps the author intended this because the one question Charlotte asked is the one question a lot of children (and adults) are probably asking. Why aren't we going back? Will I ever be able to stand on the moon? Tough one to answer.

Worth noting that along with Mark Haddon's beautiful descriptive and dream-like text, Christian Birmingham's utterly wonderful illustrations make this book stand out.

Charlotte's best bit: The boy in his mini space suit bouncing and playing on the moon.

Daddy's favourite bit: A lushly described homage to the moon landings, visually rich and a real joy to read.

Oxfordshire is a seething hotbed of literary genius, so it comes as no surprise to find some of the world's best selling authors based here in our wonderful county.

The "Get Oxfordshire Reading" Campaign aims to raise the profile of reading, and in conjunction with the National Literacy Trust, 81 primary schools have signed up and pledged support.

Literary greats such as Mark ("The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time") Haddon and Mini ("Egg Drop", "Biscuit Bear") Grey are also joined by actors like Miriam Margolyes and fantastic illustrators such as Korky Paul to ensure that children get the right start on their path to discovering the joy of reading and books.

We fully support the initiative here at ReadItDaddy and look forward to hearing how the campaign fares in the coming year. There are so many talented individuals and brilliant organisations involved in this that it's sure to be a massive success.

Click the links below to find out more:

"Celebrity Authors Support the Get Oxfordshire Reading Campaign"

"Mark Haddon gets behind Get Oxfordshire Reading"

The Campaign Website