Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Goodale (Good Night, Little Bookstore) develops a single insight gradually in this satisfying nighttime story with a tender heart. "When a baby is born, the moon is there./ The moon remembers," begin lines that speak at once to the new and the ancient. In an opening vignette, an infant portrayed with brown skin lies on their back, sucking a finger, while the smiling pale moon gazes down. The lens grows temporally wider as the pages turn: "When your mama was a baby,/ when your daddy was a baby,// when your pet cricket was a baby--// the moon remembers." In addition to people and pets, the moon recalls "each bunny,// every owl// all the squirrels/ and newts," and even green growing things, including "each tiny tomato." The moon, readers realize at last, has been around for the birth and growth of every living thing since life began. Now the book's lens returns to the child, offering a vision of the moon not only as witness ("the moon will remember you,/ perfect you"), but as unchanging presence and grounding force. It's a story reassuring in its simplicity and lulling in its tone, with visual ties to the expanse of the natural world. Ages 4--8. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Goodale blends realism and a touch of fancy to pitch some big ideas to the toddler and preschool crowd. "When a baby is born, the moon is there. The moon remembers." The book begins with the moon smiling down on a peaceful, brown-skinned newborn. Page-turns reveal how the moon watches that baby and other babies as they grow; the moon sees parents, bunnies, crickets, and even dinosaurs as babies and remembers them all. Goodale balances the cuteness of all these babies with illustrations in dark earth tones, framing all this life in nature, outdoors, at night. A blend of monoprint, gouache, watercolor, and collage gives the images rich depth and texture. Delicate lines and shading highlight individual people, animals, leaves, flowers, and blades of grass. The visual suggestion is that life is abundant, but also that even the smallest parts of it are worthy of attention, and "the moon remembers" becomes a soothing refrain. The occasional line speaks more to adults than children ("So, if you look up, wondering who you are"), but grownups need soothing too. The human family depicted here is multiracial, another standout element in this book that will be welcome at bedtime and baby showers. (c) Copyright 2024. 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
Human, animal, and plant babies are all connected to the world that exists under the glowing moon each night. In this warm bedtime story, a brown-skinned baby is born to a tan-skinned mother and a brown-skinned father who already have an older brown-skinned child with curly hair. The poetic text reminds children that the moon is always there, watching over the world and all its inhabitants. "When your mama was a baby, when your daddy was a baby, when your pet cricket was a baby--the moon remembers." The artwork shows little ones snuggling with, reaching for, and playing with the smiling moon. The moon has been there forever, even welcoming the dinosaurs, and now it welcomes everything from little tomatoes to bunnies, owlets to infants, as it once greeted their parents. Speaking directly to children, the words are soothing and sweet. The soft multimedia illustrations, incorporating monoprint, gouache, watercolor, and collage, appropriately focus on night scenes, with an especially beautiful double-page spread at the end bringing together flora, fauna, and the human family (who are barely discernable), with a moonlit river flowing through the landscape. The endpapers show the phases of the moon, which may spark curiosity to learn about this phenomenon. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Peaceful and reverent, this is a book for all families to share as they cuddle closely together. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
