City Moon

September 1, 2017

PreS-On a fall evening after dinner, a mother and son put their coats on over pajamas and head out into their city neighborhood in search of the moon. A game of hide-and-seek ensues with the moon dipping behind clouds and tall buildings. "We crane our necks up to the sky, but it's hiding. Where is it? Oh...there it is! The moon! We stop and look, but as we walk, it hides again." The two continue on their walk with the sights and sound of the city as a backdrop. The moon is spotted a couple of times before finally reaching home. "I climb into bed and see the moon. 'Can we keep the curtain open?' Mama says yes, and whispers good night." The text is spare yet effective. Gomez's full-spread illustrations are gorgeous and set the tone with a soft, muted palette. Children will love poring over all the details in the cityscapes-the people and animals on the street and inside the lit-up apartments as mother and son stroll through the community. While the mother and son are red-haired and white, there is a diverse array of people in the background. VERDICT A quiet, soothing bedtime offering that works as a small group read-aloud and one-on-one. An additional purchase for most collections.-Megan Kilgallen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 15, 2017
A mother and child search for the moon on an evening walk in the city.In the early fall darkness, mom and little one put on their pajamas, coats, and shoes and head out into the neighborhood to find the moon. Sometimes it hides behind buildings or clouds. Sometimes it is only seen as a reflection in a puddle. The child narrator is filled with curiosity and wonder, working to understand what they are seeing and not seeing. The narrator asks questions, Mama answers simply, and her child inhales the information; they are in perfect harmony. "Oh, stars." "Oh...a reflection." The street is filled with sights and sounds, but they are the only moon-hunters. Cole's syntax is spot-on, clear, descriptive, and filled with lovely images. Gomez's digitally rendered, double-page spreads capture the city neighborhood in evening tones of brown, navy, and dark green with illumination from street lights, apartment windows, and, of course, the elusive moon. There are charming vignettes of people of diverse skin tones, in their apartments or passing by on foot or on bikes, busy with their own lives. The white, redheaded mother and child move through the pages always touching, intense in their quest and sure of their love. This bedtime story will have little readers begging to explore it again and again. Wonder-filled and delightful. (Picture book. 2-6)

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January 1, 2018
A mother and child embark on their evening walk through the city, looking for the moon. The sharp-eyed child catches glimpses of it peeking out from between buildings, reflected in puddles, and finally in its full, bright glory. Luminous illustrations contrast the child's awe and wonder at the natural world with snapshots of busy city life.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2017
Cole tells of one family's autumnal evening ritual: After dinner, after tooth-brushing time, we put on pajamas, then coats and shoesWe are going on a walk to look for the moon. A mother and child leave their city apartment building and walk down the block, past a park, a fruit and vegetable stand, a dance studio, and more. The sharp-eyed child catches glimpses of the moon peeking out from between buildings, reflected in puddles, and in its full, bright glory. Mama, why doesn't everyone look? asks the child, in awe of the moon's majesty and with eyes raised to the sky. They're busy, is Mama's response, and viewers can see how so in Gomez's luminous illustrations showing snapshots of life throughout the city. Here's a person practicing an instrument; someone is writing a letter; dogs are being walked. The pictures offer a balance of simple shapes, intriguing eye-catching details, and judicious patterns. The palette is mainly dark, the sky somewhat mysterious, but the warm glow thrown off by street lamps, lights from windows, and the moon itself brings comfort and reassurance--even as the child, back home in bed, drifts off to sleep. Pair with the similarly themed Windows, reviewed in this issue. elissa gershowitz

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)