The Moon's Almost Here

Starred review from March 14, 2016
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. Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content.

April 1, 2016
A parent-child pair observes the coming of night and the reactions of various (mostly domesticated) animals and their offspring. MacLachlan uses a simple four-line rhyme scheme and intensifies the lulling quality of her text by starting the first six stanzas with the title sentence: "The moon's almost here." The lines that follow describe the animals settling down and/or heading home in their pastoral setting. As the moon begins to rise, the pattern of the rhyme stays the same (abcb), but the first line varies and the tone increases in intimacy. From "out in the meadow," where "the fireflies blink bright," to "my bed," where a little kitten curls up cozily, then back into the night to greet the moon, the voice becomes the child's. DePaola's acrylic paintings in his signature style depict the parent figure as a white-faced, pantomime Pierrot, accompanied by a ginger-haired, preschool-sized white child of indeterminate gender. Subtle shadings of color capture the magical changes brought on by the setting of the sun and the rising of the moon. Stylized shapes turn leaves and flowers into appealing patterns, while the white clothing of parent and child seems to glow against the darkening background. While the illustrations are undeniably lovely and the words flow smoothly and soothingly, however, overall this seems slight and somewhat predictable. A beautiful but minor effort from two immensely talented creators. (Picture book. 3-6)

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October 1, 2016

Toddler-PreS-Using the familiar character of Pierrot the Mime, the acrylic illustrations pair beautifully with the author's gentle farewell to the day and welcome of the full moon. The ode begins with Pierrot and a child waiting for the moon to come, watching as "Robin sings in her nest/Babies fly back to her/Ready to rest." Fittingly, the expansive sky in the background is robin's egg blue, the first in a spectrum of hues that gradually darken as twilight ascends and the two witness other animals with their offspring-sheep, ducks, calves-preparing for the night. The smallest creature, a butterfly, departs from the flower she has been sitting on to herald the next gorgeous spread of fireflies across a meadow and the first glimpse of moonlight. The text then turns to good nights until the full moon's reveal. No need to ever fear the dark with this book handily available. VERDICT A magical, wondrous, and comforting selection, especially for bedtime.-Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2016
Preschool-G Working his usual magic, dePaola illustrates this gentle good-night story featuring the mime Pierrot and his redheaded child. Waiting for the moon to rise, the two walk through the meadow toward home. They observe robins returning to the nest for bedtime and a mama sheep hurrying her lambs home as the sun goes away. Simple rhyming text tells the story: The moon's almost here. / Mama duck drifts to shore. / Ducklings swim after: / One, two, three, four. As father and child return home, fireflies appear, and the pair, along with their dog and kitten, welcome the white moon: So big / and so bright. The gorgeous palette, with enchanting double-spread illustrations, follows the blue sky as it morphs slowly from light aqua to a deep cerulean tinged with pink clouds as the sun disappears. Finally, against a deep indigo background, the huge moon is overwhelmingly beautiful, occupying the whole page. This enchanting bedtime tale is sure to lead sleepyheads to dreamland.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: MacLachlan and dePaola, who have a handful of major awards between them, are popular enough on their own; this collaboration will certainly draw a crowd.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)