Long Night Moon

Written by: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by: Mark Siegel

I have always loved the moon, although I have had more time to look at it in days past. Recently my little boy observed on his own that the moon looked like it had a face. I regret to say that I did not go outside and look at it with him during this moment, but I did help him understand how the moon looked to have a face as it shined through his bedroom window. The moon is a mysterious thing, doing such amazing things as pulling and tugging at the ocean and washing the world in silver light. There are many tales of the moon to choose from, and so many are great bedtime stories. This story, Long Night Moon, is by a favorite author of mine, Cynthia Rylant. It begins like this, "Long ago Native Americans gave names to the full moons they watched throughout the year. Each month had a moon. And each moon had its name..."

As you might guess, this book goes through each month's full moon with a few simple sentences for each. The pictures, done in charcoal, are fantastic and well thought out. The end of the book includes a few paragraphs by artist Mark Siegel, and its obvious how serious he took his pursuit of illustrating Rylant's magical words. It's wonderful to hear from the artist, whose role is huge in any children's picture book.

This book is a quiet one, for a quiet moment, under the light of the full moon at its best! Perhaps more appreciated by the slightly older or more thoughtful child, it does present an opportunity for pursuing more information related to the Native American moons. Perhaps you can research this together. Enjoy!

A Necklace of Raindrops: and Other Stories
Written by Joan Aiken
Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

During a visit with my grandmother recently I had the chance to view her elves once again. These are cute and quaint little creatures in limber elvish poses, bright clothing and hats, and mischievous faces. When my grandmother got married in the 1950s, these elves were all the rage and she received them for wedding gifts! She keeps her elves on shelves, and her elves on shelves remind me so much of the elves on shelves in one of my all time favorite books: A Necklace of Raindrops, by Joan Aiken.

A Necklace Of Raindrops is a collection of children's stories so original, I have yet to meet its equal in many ways. (Even if I have many books to read yet!) Aiken has such a sense of magic and whimsy she shares in this book that many children and myself enjoy. These stories are so fanciful and imaginative they bring out the sparkle that is sometimes lacking in everyday life. What child would not love to awaken to find the elves from their books on their very own shelves, to find the mat made for a cat was really a wishing mat? What child would not love to live in the clouds and eat all the apples they wanted that rolled into the sky with the wind? Well, perhaps some children would not. But as for me and mine, we appreciate the sparkle in these stories, and the hope and refreshment it provides. In this newer version Kevin Hawkes adds illustrations that just fit the nature of the stories, and there are just enough.

It is wonderful to have a book to pull out with individual stories that can be read at any time on a whim. That is the magic of a collection of stories in one. This book may not be to everyone's taste, but if you and yours prefer a little magic, a little fanciful fun, I recommend this collection highly!