The Moon's Almost Here
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Newbery medalist Patricia MacLachlan and Caldecott Honor and Newbery Honor winner Tomie dePaola have joined forces to create a stunning and lyrical new bedtime picture book that’s sure to become an instant classic.
The moon’s almost here.
Robin sings in her nest.
Babies fly back to her,
ready to rest.
The moon’s almost here.
There’s no time to play.
Mama sheep hurries;
Sun’s going away.
Nighttime is approaching as each animal readies itself for bed in this lyrical picture book text by Patricia MacLachlan. In striking paintings with a calming palette, Tomie dePaola imagines the scene through the eyes of mime Pierrot and his child.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's nearly time for the moon to rise, and all of nature knows what that means. "The moon's almost here./ Mama duck drifts to shore," writes Newbery Medalist MacLachlan in lullaby-like verse. "Ducklings swim after:/ One, two, three, and four." On the porch of a house, a dog "curls in a ball/ And closes his eyes." The sky gradually turns from light turquoise to lavender to deep navy, and the moon makes its much-heralded entrance in the final pages, a glowing white ball. Witnessing it all are two figures: a redheaded boy in an old-fashioned nightgown and an adult in a white clown outfit and white makeup. Adult readers may recognize the latter as the iconic pantomime character Pierrot, cast as a doting father (parents explaining this reference can use the opportunity to introduce another commedia character, Pulcinella, who partly inspired dePaola's Strega Nona). DePaola's openhearted, virtuosic artistry reveals a deep connection between the pair, with the boy often echoing his father's theatrical miming gestures. Together, pictures and text establish their own reality one that's immensely reassuring. Ages 4 8.
