Sun and Moon Have a Tea Party

April 15, 2020
Locked in a bitter dispute about the nature of the world, Sun and Moon can't both be right, can they? Enjoying tea and cookies together above the Earth late one afternoon, the sun and the moon discover the vast difference in their experiences. When Moon notes, "Children have to go to sleep," Sun responds, "Wrong!...Children have to go to school." Sun and Moon recount their understanding of what children, parents, streets, birds, and even streams are like, each one's description in direct opposition to the other's. As the disagreement becomes increasingly heated, along comes Cloud, who offers a way for the two to see the world from a different view. It's a straightforward but effective story, with quiet, rounded illustrations creating a soft and accessible universe. Sun, Moon, and Cloud have simple but expressive line-drawn faces that drive the text's dramatic tension and satisfying resolution. Repeated use of one family--what appears as a white-skinned, black-haired mom; a peach-skinned, blond dad; a white-skinned, flaxen-haired child; and a white-skinned, black-haired child--gives the celestial debate some human resonance, and people depicted in city scenes include a range of skin tones, ages, and abilities. The changing behavior of morning glories under Sun's and Moon's respective gazes is a particularly clever detail that may have readers curious to learn more. A thoughtful, gentle introduction to the limits of one's own perspective. (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 11, 2020
This final story by the late Heo (Flabbersmashed About You) opens as the sun and the moon meet for tea one afternoon. “Do you know what moms and dads do?” Moon asks, holding her teacup delicately. “They get their children ready for bed.” Stoop (Pup and Bear) paints what Moon sees: a mother helping a child into a pajama top as a father tucks a smaller sibling into bed. “No, they don’t,” Sun says flatly. “Moms and dads get their children ready for school.” Sun watches the same family headed out the door, the two children wearing knapsacks. As the counterparts begin bickering, young readers will recognize the problem: Moon sees the world only at night, while Sun sees it during the day. Stoop paints on plywood, and the grain underneath her artwork helps her colors drift and fade, giving a dreamy feeling to a celestial debate played out on the streets of a bustling, diverse community. Heo’s tale has the weight and force of a fable, with a timeless quality that speaks to a universal human dilemma: limited point of view. Ages 3–7.

June 1, 2020

K-Gr 2-When the Sun and Moon have a tea party that ends in an argument about what people do on Earth, Cloud comes to the rescue. Cloud explains that they are both right, but each will need to stay up past their bedtime to see how people really spend their time. And in this way the Moon learns many things about daytime and Sun finds out about the night. Stoop's mixed-media illustrations are colorful and detailed, with lovely depictions of nature and people in their opposite orbs. VERDICT This is a clever look at how the Sun and Moon have different perspectives on what humans do on Earth, and has great potential for post-reading discussions.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Lib., Troy, NH

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2020
Preschool-G The argument begins with perfect civility. Late one afternoon, Sun and Moon meet for a tea party. Moon sips from a beautiful cup and observes that moms and dads get their kids ready for bed. Sun disagrees, Moms and dads get their children ready for school. The conversation spirals downward from there. When Sun mentions busy streets, Moon is aghast, Streets aren't busy! More contradictions follow, until Cloud drifts by and mediates, telling them that they both are right and that each should stay up past bedtime to view what the other sees. After taking turns following that advice, Moon and Sun are amazed to discover the world, which had seemed so familiar, from a different perspective. The theme of valid but conflicting perspectives emerges naturally from the story, which reads aloud beautifully. Young children, who often broaden their knowledge by discovering their incorrect assumptions and amending their thinking, will appreciate the quiet, reflective ending. Created with mixed media on plywood, the illustrations feature expressive, often lovely scenes of day and night. A rewarding picture book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)