Moonlight

Starred review from May 30, 2022
“Something is on the move,” writes Savage (And Then Came Hope) in an opening line that lures readers through a series of linocut settings. Rendered in a limited palette of cool hues—from teal to deepest navy—with accents of gleaming white, the world is composed of alluring and allusive shadows, shapes, and textures: a dense rainforest, a tropical seashore, the deck of a ship, a bank of clouds, an alpine landscape, a train depot, and, finally, an urban neighborhood. As the pages turn, readers mull over what is it that “streaks through the forest then slips—// tumbling over/ a waterfall, swirling/ down a river,” and “hides behind/ a cloud,// then catches a passing plane.” An intimate final scene in a child’s bedroom reveals the answer, though the book’s title is certainly a tip-off. With the six-sentence text providing an almost incantatory counterpoint to the pictures’ clean, geometric lines, and bold, flat colors, this is a lovely bedtime meditation on themes of universality, a shared planet, and quiet wonder. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group.

June 1, 2022
Full of mystery and intrigue, a personified beam of moonlight is on the move as a child sleeps, wakes, wonders, and is reassured. Solitary text on a dark page suggests that something is out there--awake, alive, and moving. It's in a lush jungle, where a hushed tone pervades and gazelles bound away. It is slithering, tumbling, hiding, seemingly ready to pounce. When dense landscapes open to the sea, the mood lightens from ominous to adventurous. Something catches a plane, then a train and rides through mountain passes. But the relief is short-lived as readers quickly realize the something is coming closer, into their neighborhoods and rooms. At the height of suspense, a child awakens in a room with a toy plane and a framed picture of a gazelle--hints that what readers just witnessed were parts of a dream. Not fearful, the child longs for the moonlight to return. Savage uses linocuts in a limited palette of various hues of blue to create deceivingly simple, atmospheric illustrations with sophisticated depth. Bathed in blue, the child's race is unclear. Repetitive patterning and striking compositions create loads of visual play, while the descriptive, minimal text--sometimes only a phrase per spread--sets the tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A stunning bedtime tale infused with a bit of suspense. (Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 1, 2022

PreS-Gr 1-"Something is on the move" are the opening words of this story, which begins with a bit of mystery. At first it seems that the something might be a deer or a waterfall, but readers soon recognize that moonlight is not only the title but also the subject of the book. The light appears on mountaintops and valleys and wends its way through town and eventually into a child's bedroom. Muted blues and greens along with black and white are the sole colors used consistently and create a quiet mood. Simple, elegant language accentuates the peaceful tone in this poetic musing on a regular but fascinating nighttime event. There's not much overt action here, but for a soothing bedtime meditation, this story fits the bill. VERDICT Ideal for collections seeking quiet stories stronger in lyrical language and evocative artwork than plot. The book is also inspiration for discussions on what nearly invisible influences move through the world, day or night.-Gloria Koster

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2022
Preschool-Grade 1 "Something is on the move." But what could it be? Short, simple yet lyrical and evenly paced text gives children clues about the mysterious entity. Action words relate its constant movement, whether "swinging through the trees," "tumbling over a waterfall," or "hopping off on a mountain." Textured linocuts in blues and teals and geometric shapes form glittering nighttime scenes in the wild, with touches of luminous white set against clouds, waves, and mountains offering more clues. A train track helps transition young readers from the outdoors to an urban setting, where a child sleeps and the bright white has faded to a light blue. Just when readers might realize they've been following moonlight throughout the picture book, the child wakes to sunlight casting morning shadows. "Don't worry," soothes the text in response, while a final scene with a full moon above the child's room reassures that the moonlight will return in the evening. Imagery from the wild in the child's bedroom subtly builds this connection. A beautiful tribute to the moon for bedtime--or anytime.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2022
"Something is on the move," but what could it be? In the darkness of night, each page-turn offers the viewer tantalizing glimpses -- along a jungle's vines, down a waterfall's descent, and into a river below. White shards of light continue to shimmer in a ship's wake, the edge of a cloud hanging above, and a plane sputtering through those same clouds, until the light reaches a quiet neighborhood. At last, the moonlight "rests for a while in your bedroom, next to you, softly fading." As the light dissipates, leaving the child and their stuffed bear in darkness, the text reassures them, "Don't worry. The moonlight will come back tonight." Mysterious but not unsettling, Savage's lyrical bedtime book invites pajama-clad listeners into a moment of quiet wonder. Well-placed text complements the inked block prints to create a thoughtful interplay between shadow and light. Within a very limited palette of cool blues and that necessary glimmer of white, the book suggests a sense of both softness and stability in the moonlight's nightly return. Grace McKinney

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
"Something is on the move," but what could it be? In the darkness of night, each page-turn offers the viewer tantalizing glimpses -- along a jungle's vines, down a waterfall's descent, and into a river below. White shards of light continue to shimmer in a ship's wake, the edge of a cloud hanging above, and a plane sputtering through those same clouds, until the light reaches a quiet neighborhood. At last, the moonlight "rests for a while in your bedroom, next to you, softly fading." As the light dissipates, leaving the child and their stuffed bear in darkness, the text reassures them, "Don't worry. The moonlight will come back tonight." Mysterious but not unsettling, Savage's lyrical bedtime book invites pajama-clad listeners into a moment of quiet wonder. Well-placed text complements the inked block prints to create a thoughtful interplay between shadow and light. Within a very limited palette of cool blues and that necessary glimmer of white, the book suggests a sense of both softness and stability in the moonlight's nightly return.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)