When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year [Hardcover]

Mary Azarian (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

This lunar guide describes the folkloric names of twelve moons according to Native American tradition and showcases their defining characteristics in short verse and beautifully detailed hand-colored woodcuts. A question-and-answer section includes information about the moon's surface, an explanation of a lunar eclipse, and the true meaning of a blue moon.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Azarian's (Snowflake Bentley) hand-painted woodcut prints provide evocative, haunting nature scenes for Pollock's (The Turkey Girl) eloquent poems in honor of each month's full moon. Each new spread reveals a spectacular nighttime vista; readers may well turn the pages as they would a calendar, pausing over the beauty of one scene, anticipating the next. Snow in February yields to sap buckets in March; raccoons feast on corn under the August moon while squirrels gather acorns on September nights. The poems vary in rhythm and mood, and are often arresting in their simplicity: "Lilies of the valley/ ring each silent bell/ when May's bright moon/ lightens up the dell"; in July, "Young bucks/ in the hayfield,/ antlers held aloft./ Moonbeams slanting down,/ show them velvet soft." Traditional Native American names for the moon serve as the poems' titles (January is the "The Wolf Moon") and a simple explanation follows: "Native Americans believed that wolves became restless in January." A concluding question-and-answer page provides additional information about the moon. This lovely volume will likely charm readers and inspire them to linger a bit longer under the night-time sky. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-This delicate collection of poems offers a beautifully illustrated look at a year's worth of full moons. The Native American name for each moon is given, along with brief facts about it. An interesting question-and-answer section offers a variety of information about the moon itself, common misconceptions, and the truth about blue moons. Short and simple selections convey a variety of moods. For example, June is home to the strawberry moon, when "We feast all night/in moon's spotlight/forgetting all our foes,/tramping on the berries/that squish between our toes." The accompanying picture features three gleeful bears frolicking in the warm moon glow of a strawberry patch. Azarian's woodcuts are bathed in soothing blues, greens, and buttery yellows that entice readers to view this book outside under the moon's shadowy embrace.

Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; 1 edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316713171
• ISBN-13: 978-0316713177
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #899,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > United States

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Moon Lovers Everywhere....., April 21, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year (Hardcover)

"Full moons come,/full moons go,/softening nights/with their silver glow./They pass in silence,/all untamed,/but as they travel,/they are named." Native Americans named each full moon after a special characteristic that the month brought. For instance, January was the Wolf Moon, because they believed wolves became restless in January, May was the Flower Moon, because that is when many flowers bloom, and October was the Hunter's Moon, because the moon rises early adding to the light of the setting sun and giving hunters extra time to hunt. Penny Pollack and Mary Azarian have authored a beautiful yearful of poetry, detailing the wonders and glories of the moon. Ms Pollacks gentle, quiet, original verses are eloquent and lyrical, and include the name of the month, the unique Native American moon name, and a simple explanation of the moon name. Ms Azarian's hand-painted woodcut illustrations of gorgeous nature scenes bathed in moonlight are evocative and offer a feast for the eyes. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, When The Moon Is Full includes an informative and entertaining two page spread of questions and answers about the moon, and is a lovely bedtime book the entire family can share and enjoy together.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars all about the moon, December 25, 2006

By 

Avalon (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year (Hardcover)

Each two page spread has a picture, the moon's name (Native American), a short poem and a short fact about the moon. At the end of the 12 months, there is a Q and A section about blue moons and why the moon changes shapes. A very kid friendly book about the different times of year.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karen, October 24, 2010

By 

Karen - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year (Hardcover)

Great book requested by the art teacher in my K-4 building. I purchased it for the school library. She and the students use it every year.