Max and the Tag-Along Moon

April 22, 2013
It’s hard to leave Granpa’s house, but he has a promise for young Max: the “big fine moon” in the sky “will always shine for you... on and on!” Granpa seems right for most of the “swervy-curvy” trip home—which is beautifully captured by the velvety textures, luminous palette, and curvilinear shapes of Cooper’s spreads. Then storm clouds turn the sky dark, and in Max’s anxious face it’s easy to see that he’s wondering whether the loneliness and disappointment brought on by the moon’s disappearance means something about his own world, too: what happens when someone he love disappears? Many authors would have brought in another adult to help Max mediate his feelings, but Cooper (Brick by Brick) gives the boy room to think, so that when moon reappears, Max has a deeper understanding of what Granpa’s promise means: love, like the moon’s light, goes “on and on.” Writing in poetic, evocative prose, Cooper offers just the right amount of support to the lush illustrations and the thoughtful, observant hero. Ages 3–7.

April 1, 2013
After a visit, an African-American grandfather and grandson say farewell under a big yellow moon. Granpa tells Max it is the same moon he will see when he gets home. This gently told story uses Max's fascination with the moon's ability to "tag along" where his family's car goes as a metaphor for his grandfather's constant love. Separating the two relatives is "a swervy-curvy road" that travels up and down hills, over a bridge, "past a field of sleeping cows," around a small town and through a tunnel. No matter where Max travels, the moon is always there, waiting around a curve or peeking through the trees. But then "[d]ark clouds tumbled across the night sky." No stars, no nightingales and no moon are to be found. Max frets: "Granpa said it would always shine for me." Disappointed, Max climbs into bed, missing both the moon and his granpa. In a dramatic double-page spread, readers see Max's excitement as "[s]lowly, very slowly, Max's bedroom began to fill with a soft yellow glow." Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape--sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle's mirror--and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story's lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece. A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson. (Picture book. 4-6)

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June 1, 2013

PreS-K-A big, round moon shines down on a boy and his grandfather as they share a good-bye hug, and Granpa tells Max, "That ol' moon will always shine for you...on and on." The child keeps an eye on the moon on the long drive home, spying it in the side mirror of his family's car and through branches above him. Over hills and bridges, past sleeping cows, and through a quiet town, it is always in view. Then, when dark clouds hide it, Max feels its absence. It reappears as he is going to sleep, and he throw his hands in the air with joy at the shining orb that "will always shine for me... on and on!" A lovely comforting story for children who don't like good-byes, the quiet text flows along, and the soft, diffuse paintings make the book a wonderful bedtime read-aloud. The full moon is a friendly presence on each spread, and the varied vantage points incorporate soothing imagery, such as a bird silhouetted against the sky. Signs with arrows point the way home, reassuring readers that despite the lengthy trip, Max is heading in the right direction. His face is expressive, clearly conveying his varied emotions, from wonder to happiness and wistfulness. Perfect for one-on-one readings.-Marian McLeod, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2013
Preschool-G Max says of the moon: Granpa said it would always shine for me. And glow it does on each beautiful full-bleed double-page spread. Cooper's signature illustrations in soft browns and yellows mixed with subtle pastel shades follow a young boy's car trip home at night after a visit with his beloved Granpa. The moon is always there as Max travels up a hill, down a hill, around a curve, bouncing past resting cows, and through a quiet small town. But when that tag-along moon disappears behind thick, smoky storm clouds, Max says, I guess that ol' moon couldn't shine for me all the way home. Upstairs in bed, Max misses Granpa, but then a magic ball of light fills Max's window, and he raises his arms in glorious victory. Coretta Scott King Awardwinning Cooper has created a gentle, comforting story that will reassure children that those who love us are always with us.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)