Moons Cloud Blanket [Hardcover]

Rose Anne St Romain (Author), Joan C. Waites (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Nestled in the branches of southern cypress and oak trees is a natural wonder with a magical origin. Its story began when a flood raged through the bayous of South Louisiana. There, a mother and her two children sought shelter from a storm in the branches of a cypress tree. Late that night, the mother asked the moon to keep her sleeping children warm. Moon talked to Stars, Stars talked to Clouds, and when these celestial bodies joined forces, they did more than just save one mother and her children. 'Moon's Cloud Blanket' is a Native American legend from the Houma people of South Louisiana.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-In this picture-book debut, St. Romain relays a Native American tale from Louisiana concerning the origin of Spanish moss. During a flood, a mother guides her son and daughter to safety in the branches of a cypress tree. Although removed from the dangers of the rising water, they are still plagued by the chill of the wind and rain, so the mother beseeches the moon for help. By morning, a soft moss blanket, woven from clouds, covers the threesome. While this book may have local interest, neither the telling nor the watercolor illustrations make it a first purchase for libraries farther afield. The tale does not develop interest in the family before the crisis; thus, page after page of bedraggled, pouting figures, paired with the relentless repetition of the narrative, becomes monotonous.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565549228
• ISBN-13: 978-1565549227
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,427,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lyrical and powerful folktale!, January 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Moons Cloud Blanket (Hardcover)

As a scholar of folkltales, it was a pleasure to find this lovely book included in the 2004 list of Notable Social Studies Books for Young People. The author has sensitively documented a Louisiana Native American creation story with spare and well-chosen language. Her use of image-filled repetition creates the relentless power of the storm brilliantly. As in most folktales, she keeps the focus on how the characters solve the problem before them thus emphasizing the Native American's relationship with the natural world. I look forward to more books by Rose Anne St. Romain.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful pourquoi story, July 17, 2011

By 

Lynn Shurr - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moons Cloud Blanket (Hardcover)

I love tales about how things came to be. Rose Anne St. Romain treats us to a little known story originating among the Indian tribes of south Louisiana about how Spanish moss came to be when a woman seeks to save her children during a terrible flood. The repetitive lines of how the water rises is sure to be echoed by children during a story time as they wonder how these people will survive. And they do with the help of other forces of nature. I also enjoyed Joan Waites detailed pictures of the denizens of the swamp which children are sure to point out and St.Romain's personal note at the end of the book about her family's use of Spanish Moss. A must purchase for libraries in the deep South and a good addition elsewhere.