In the luminous The Children's Moon, Carmen Agra Deedy (Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day) crafts her own folktale to explain why the moon is occasionally visible in the daytime. Jim LaMarche (The Carousel) uses a soothing palette for his illustrations that provide comfort with every page turn.
Every morning, the sun and the moon change places. The moon longs to stay in the sky to see the children whose laughter she hears only briefly before she sets. The moon pleads her case to the sun: "They never see me," she says, "Unless you'd let me come out by day?" The sun says no, telling the moon, "You know the rules." But the moon gives the sun a gift so precious that he eagerly acquiesces to sharing the sky, allowing his nocturnal friend a regular cameo appearance during daylight hours when the children are awake.
The power of Deedy's narrative lies in her ability to weave scientific fact into her mythic tale; she makes the phases of the moon comprehensible for young children while also subtly nodding to the importance of teamwork. LaMarche's acrylic and pencil illustrations in complementary hues of yellow, lavender, blue and green meld beautifully with Deedy's text, visually expanding both the magical and factual aspects of the book. His gentle color scheme stays consistent through the back matter, which includes additional information and educational resources. Deedy has crafted a delightful tale well suited for any setting. --Rachel Werner, author and teaching artist at Hugo House, Lighthouse Writers Workshop and The Loft Literary Center