Once upon a time, high above the fluffy white clouds and the soaring birds, lived a playful little light named Luna. Luna wasn't a star, oh no! Luna was the Moon, a big, round ball of rock that shone so brightly in the night sky. But Luna had a secret… she loved to play hide-and-seek!

Now, Luna didn’t have any friends to play with up there, except for her best friend, Sunny. Sunny was the Sun, a giant ball of fiery light that was always shining brightly during the day. Because Sunny was so bright, Luna could only play her game at night.

One night, Luna decided to play a very special game of hide-and-seek. She had a big, round blanket, woven from shimmering starlight. This blanket was very special because it made Luna look different depending on how she held it. When she held it completely unfolded, everyone on Earth could see her big, bright, round face. They called this a Full Moon, and it was Luna’s favorite because everyone could see her shining brightly!

"Look at me!" Luna would call out, her light shining strong and steady. The little flowers on Earth would close their petals as if whispering secrets to each other about the beautiful, full moon shining down on them. The little creatures scampering around would pause to gaze at her magnificent glow.

But Luna loved surprises! So, the next night, she decided to hold her blanket just a little differently. This time, she only showed half of her bright face. From Earth, it looked like half of her was missing! People called this a Half Moon, or sometimes a First Quarter Moon or a Last Quarter Moon depending on which half was showing.

"Peek-a-boo!" Luna giggled, as the little creatures on Earth pointed and giggled along with her, wondering where the other half of her had gone. The flowers, having peeked from behind their petals, stretched their stems towards the glowing half-moon.

The next night, Luna was feeling even more playful! She held her starlight blanket so that only a tiny sliver of her bright face showed. It looked like a thin, glowing crescent. It was so thin, it almost looked like a tiny, sparkling smile in the sky! People called this a Crescent Moon, and whispered stories about magical wishes made under its slender glow.

"Can you see me?" Luna called out softly, her light a gentle whisper in the night. The little creatures were enchanted by the beautiful, slender smile in the sky. The flowers gently swayed, dreaming of the moon's mischievous game.

As the days and nights went by, Luna kept on playing her hide-and-seek game, changing the way she held her starlight blanket. Sometimes, it was a big, bright circle, sometimes just a sliver, and sometimes, she hid completely behind her blanket, disappearing from view altogether. This is what people called a New Moon. From Earth, it looked like the Moon had vanished entirely!

"Where did she go?" the little creatures wondered.

But Luna wasn’t really gone; she was just hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to reappear. She knew that even though sometimes she couldn’t be seen, she was still there, spinning around the Earth, her beautiful light always ready to shine again.

The children on Earth, as they grew older, learned that Luna wasn't really hiding behind a blanket. They learned about the Earth, the Sun, and how Luna’s orbit around the Earth made it seem as if she was changing shape. They learned that only half of Luna is always lit by Sunny, and as Luna travels around the Earth, we see different amounts of that lit-up half.

But even though they understood the science behind it, they still loved to imagine Luna playing her hide-and-seek game. They still looked up at the night sky and smiled at the sight of the crescent moon, the half moon, or the glorious full moon, imagining Luna's laughter echoing across the stars. And they knew, deep down, that no matter what shape Luna appeared to be, she was always there, her bright light a comforting presence in the quiet darkness of night. And sometimes, on clear nights, they could even see Luna’s little shadow dancing across the Earth, a secret reminder of the moon's endless, playful journey. So, whenever you see the moon change shapes, remember Luna and her magical game of hide-and-seek! It's a game that's been going on for millions of years, and it's a game that will continue as long as Luna shines brightly in the night sky.