From Publishers Weekly
"Once upon a time, it was dark at night and the animals couldn't see a thing," begins this aesthetically pleasing pourquoi tale. Entreated to end the gloom, the sun creates the moon, making it bigger and bigger as the animals clamor for more and more light at night. But the animals soon take their gift for granted; in anger, the sun takes the moon away, restoring it only after the animals apologize--and only then on a conditional basis: "From now on, the moon will wax and wane to remind you to appreciate my gift to you," says the sun. The relatively technical terms of "waxing" and "waning" call attention to themselves in a parable otherwise crafted with a rough-hewn eloquence. Gracefully austere illustrations, composed largely from torn and cut paper, evoke an array and depth of textures: the cragginess of a mountain peak, the downiness of a duck's feathers, and even the shimmering scales of fish caught in the spotlight of a full moon. As befits a story about cosmic origins, the world Hol details feels newly minted and poignantly fragile. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-After experiencing a night without any light, three ducks, a turtle, and a green snake ask the sun to shine on them during the night as well as during the day. The sun explains how it has to light the other side of the world, but that if they watch the sky that evening, there will be a surprise. When the animals see the crescent moon, they ask if it could become bigger, which it does each night until it becomes a "lovely, round full moon." After a while, they take the light for granted and forget to thank the sun. When the angry sun takes it away, the friends realize how ungrateful they've been and apologize. "'All right,' said the sun. 'But from now on, the moon will wax and wane to remind you to appreciate my gift to you.'" The illustrations are done with torn-and-cut paper, spattered ink, and watercolor. The simple, textured pictures flow easily with the text, which is accompanied by spot art, on the opposite page. This sweet and childlike explanation of this natural cycle may remind youngsters to look for the moon in its different shapes each night.
Susan Knell, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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