Review by New York Times Review
like most admirers of classic children's books, I have a healthy appreciation for "Goodnight Moon." Yet when I first encountered this group of similarly themed books, I found myself thinking instead of "Yertle the Hirtle." In that Seussian tale of amphibian ambition, the moon torments King Yertle by reminding him of his limitations: "But, while he was shouting, he saw with surprise/ That the moon of the evening was starting to rise/ Up over his head in the darkening skies." The moon's majestic, silent mockery sets a revolution in motion and, rather than wishing the king good night, it helps his subjects bid tyranny goodbye. Clearly the moon has an enviable dramatic range, hence its continuing role as a muse and major player in children's stories. The boy at the center of "Windows" looks a few years older than Peter, the young protagonist of Ezra Jack Keats's "The Snowy Day." But with his brown skin and red hooded jacket he still brings that venerable favorite to mind. His adventure begins "at the end of the day, before the town goes to sleep." Taking his dog for a stroll in "the almost-night," the boy beholds his community with a child's fanciful perspective. Julia Denos's prose, spare, evocative and spiced with an occasional, subtle rhyme, is very much in sync with the illustrator E. B. Goodale's mixed-media art. The buildings are mostly weathered and unspectacular, in the manner of a typical, perhaps working-class, neighborhood. But they are enlivened by their windows, bright golden rectangles providing glimpses of charming domestic scenes. "One window might be tall, with the curtains drawn," Denos writes, "or small, with a party inside." A two-page panorama of windows, with its charmingly framed miniature portraits of dancing couples, a pensive girl, a man at a piano, and the petallike blades of an electric fan, is particularly lovely. Denos and Goodale provide a touch of nostalgia in a pair of pals calling to each other from adjacent houses, stretching a string between two cans. The highlight of the boy's sojourn is the end, when he returns home to see his mother in the window, waiting for him. It's a reassuring moment in these times, when walking at night in a hoodie can have different, even troubling associations for a child of color. While the "bright and rounded" moon makes a cameo appearance in the endpapers of "Windows," it looms much larger in "Good Night, Planet." But we're getting ahead of the story. First we tag along while a little girl spends a joyous, exhausting day with her pet stuffed animal, Planet. At day's end, after the girl has fallen promptly to sleep, Planet slips out of bed and goes on an evening frolic. Planet's companions - Elliot the family dog, and Bradley, a friendly mouse - have a swinging good time with the house to themselves, enjoying cookies and people-free fellowship. A quest for the ultimate midnight snack leads to the moon hovering hugely over the backyard, "the biggest cookie ever." Liniers, a cartoonist by trade, shifts easily from single-panel scenes to as many as nine panels on a page. It's a fast-moving, richly imagined story that loses nothing in repeated readings. A fable about a stuffed animal that comes to life risks being a tedious cliché, but in Liniers's skillful hands, "Good Night, Planet" is anything but. "City Moon" follows a little boy and his mom out on an evening walk. Clad in cozy pajamas, the boy narrates their mission "to look for the moon." Their quarry ducks in and out of view behind tall buildings as the pair navigate their autumnal surroundings. They pass many people too busy to look for the moon, caught up in mailing letters, practicing trumpets in upstairs bedrooms, doing homework and buying groceries. Despite the presence of speeding cars and fire engines with wailing sirens, Blanca Gomez's illustrations create an atmosphere that is overwhelmingly quiet. Alongside them, Rachael Cole's prose unfolds at a measured pace that will ease young readers into a restful mood. Porch lights glow softly, and above the boy's head, stars are "glittery dots in the sky." As they accumulate, the details in the art exert an understated effect, from the Matisse-like birds floating beneath the clouds to the tiny sailboats on the boy's pajamas. And there's the moon itself, "bright and light and round." The endearing moppet featured in "La La La" may remind readers of a certain vintage of the titular star of "Frances FaceMaker," William Cole and Tomi Ungerer's 1963 bedtime story. That book's stubborn little protagonist sports a similar hairstyle and equally elastic expressions. Before we get to read a word, Jaime Kim's illustrations help us to understand that the girl is thoughtful and determined. This is more than a little helpful, as the language Kate DiCamillo's tiny heroine employs is minimal, though highly melodic. Singing as she dreams and schemes, the solitary girl devises a plan to climb to the moon. When her plan is thwarted, it appears as if the moon will taunt her much as it did our old friend King Yertle. But DiCamillo, a twotime Newbery Medal winner (for "The Tale of Despereaux" and "Flora & Ulysses"), resolves her tale in a hopeful twist that will not be revealed here. Kim ("Take Heart, My Child") has created sumptuous images, especially several pages awash in deep, rich purples, that suggest an expansive dreamscape where anything is possible. At the same time, DiCamillo's barelythere text gives the art space to breathe, leaving room for children to fill in the silences with their own boundless imaginations. JABARl ASIM'S next book for children, "A Child's Introduction to African-American History," will be published in January.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [November 12, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
After dinner, a mother and her little boy, clad in his pajamas, coat, and shoes, walk through their city neighborhood, looking for the moon. The sky is dark, but suddenly, there's the moon! The boy asks about the dots in the sky (stars) and the light in the puddle (the moon's reflection). As they walk past buildings, the moon comes into sight for a while before disappearing behind a cloud. They go home, where Mama tucks the boy into bed in a room softly lit by moonlight. This quiet picture-book text offers just enough story, just enough realistic details, and just enough surprise to capture and hold a young child's interest. The handsome digital artwork includes different people, dogs, cars, shops, and even a library for observant kids to notice. Varied buildings give structure to the street scenes created with subtle shades of dark colors, occasionally lightened by the soft glow of a lamp or the moon. The tone of both the words and pictures make this a calm, reassuring choice for bedtime reading.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-On a fall evening after dinner, a mother and son put their coats on over pajamas and head out into their city neighborhood in search of the moon. A game of hide-and-seek ensues with the moon dipping behind clouds and tall buildings. "We crane our necks up to the sky, but it's hiding. Where is it? Oh...there it is! The moon! We stop and look, but as we walk, it hides again." The two continue on their walk with the sights and sound of the city as a backdrop. The moon is spotted a couple of times before finally reaching home. "I climb into bed and see the moon. 'Can we keep the curtain open?' Mama says yes, and whispers good night." The text is spare yet effective. Gómez's full-spread illustrations are gorgeous and set the tone with a soft, muted palette. Children will love poring over all the details in the cityscapes-the people and animals on the street and inside the lit-up apartments as mother and son stroll through the community. While the mother and son are red-haired and white, there is a diverse array of people in the background. VERDICT A quiet, soothing bedtime offering that works as a small group read-aloud and one-on-one. An additional purchase for most collections.-Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Cole tells of one familys autumnal evening ritual: After dinner, after tooth-brushing time, we put on pajamas, then coats and shoesWe are going on a walk to look for the moon. A mother and child leave their city apartment building and walk down the block, past a park, a fruit and vegetable stand, a dance studio, and more. The sharp-eyed child catches glimpses of the moon peeking out from between buildings, reflected in puddles, and in its full, bright glory. Mama, why doesnt everyone look? asks the child, in awe of the moons majesty and with eyes raised to the sky. Theyre busy, is Mamas response, and viewers can see how so in Gmezs luminous illustrations showing snapshots of life throughout the city. Heres a person practicing an instrument; someone is writing a letter; dogs are being walked. The pictures offer a balance of simple shapes, intriguing eye-catching details, and judicious patterns. The palette is mainly dark, the sky somewhat mysterious, but the warm glow thrown off by street lamps, lights from windows, and the moon itself brings comfort and reassurance--even as the child, back home in bed, drifts off to sleep. Pair with the similarly themed Windows, reviewed in this issue. elissa gershowitz (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A mother and child search for the moon on an evening walk in the city.In the early fall darkness, mom and little one put on their pajamas, coats, and shoes and head out into the neighborhood to find the moon. Sometimes it hides behind buildings or clouds. Sometimes it is only seen as a reflection in a puddle. The child narrator is filled with curiosity and wonder, working to understand what they are seeing and not seeing. The narrator asks questions, Mama answers simply, and her child inhales the information; they are in perfect harmony. "Oh, stars." "Oha reflection." The street is filled with sights and sounds, but they are the only moon-hunters. Cole's syntax is spot-on, clear, descriptive, and filled with lovely images. Gmez's digitally rendered, double-page spreads capture the city neighborhood in evening tones of brown, navy, and dark green with illumination from street lights, apartment windows, and, of course, the elusive moon. There are charming vignettes of people of diverse skin tones, in their apartments or passing by on foot or on bikes, busy with their own lives. The white, redheaded mother and child move through the pages always touching, intense in their quest and sure of their love. This bedtime story will have little readers begging to explore it again and again. Wonder-filled and delightful. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
