The Moon's Almost Here

by Patricia MacLachlan (Author) Tomie dePaola (Illustrator)

The Moon's Almost Here
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

Newbery medalist Patricia MacLachlan and Caldecott Honor and Newbery Honor winner Tomie dePaola have joined forces to create a stunning and lyrical new picture book that's sure to become an instant classic.

The moon's almost here.
Robin sings in her nest.
Babies fly back to her,
ready to rest.

The moon's almost here.
There's no time to play.
Mama sheep hurries;
Sun's going away.

Nighttime is approaching as each animal readies itself for bed in this lyrical picture book text by Patricia MacLachlan. In striking paintings with a calming palette, Tomie dePaola imagines the scene through the eyes of mime Pierrot and his child.

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Kirkus


Publishers Weekly

It's nearly time for the moon to rise, and all of nature knows what that means. "The moon's almost here./ Mama duck drifts to shore," writes Newbery Medalist MacLachlan in lullaby-like verse. "Ducklings swim after: / One, two, three, and four." On the porch of a house, a dog "curls in a ball/ And closes his eyes." The sky gradually turns from light turquoise to lavender to deep navy, and the moon makes its much-heralded entrance in the final pages, a glowing white ball. Witnessing it all are two figures: a redheaded boy in an old-fashioned nightgown and an adult in a white clown outfit and white makeup. Adult readers may recognize the latter as the iconic pantomime character Pierrot, cast as a doting father (parents explaining this reference can use the opportunity to introduce another commedia character, Pulcinella, who partly inspired dePaola's Strega Nona). DePaola's openhearted, virtuosic artistry reveals a deep connection between the pair, with the boy often echoing his father's theatrical miming gestures. Together, pictures and text establish their own reality--one that's immensely reassuring. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (June)

Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Using the familiar character of Pierrot the Mime, the acrylic illustrations pair beautifully with the author's gentle farewell to the day and welcome of the full moon. The ode begins with Pierrot and a child waiting for the moon to come, watching as "Robin sings in her nest/Babies fly back to her/Ready to rest." Fittingly, the expansive sky in the background is robin's egg blue, the first in a spectrum of hues that gradually darken as twilight ascends and the two witness other animals with their offspring—sheep, ducks, calves—preparing for the night. The smallest creature, a butterfly, departs from the flower she has been sitting on to herald the next gorgeous spread of fireflies across a meadow and the first glimpse of moonlight. The text then turns to good nights until the full moon's reveal. No need to ever fear the dark with this book handily available. VERDICT A magical, wondrous, and comforting selection, especially for bedtime.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"[T]he illustrations are undeniably lovely and the words flow smoothly and soothingly. . . ."—Kirkus Reviews
Patricia MacLachlan

Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022) was the award-winning author of many novels for children, including the Newbery Medal and Scott O'Dell Award-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall, which was adapted into a Hallmark television movie starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken. She co-wrote the teleplay for the film as well as for two sequels, Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End, based on her novels.

Honored with a Christopher Award and a National Humanities Medal among many others, MacLachlan was also the author of Baby, Waiting for the Magic, The Truth of Me, and the picture books Someone Like Me (illustrated by Chris Sheban), and The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse (illustrated by Hadley Hooper).

Chris Sheban has been awarded three gold and three silver medals from the Society of Illustrators. Some of the books he has illustrated are I Met a Dinosaur by Jan Wahl, Catching the Moon by Myla Goldberg, and What To Do With a Box by Jane Yolen. Someone Like Me is his first book with Roaring Brook Press.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781481420624
Lexile Measure
450
Guided Reading Level
F
Publisher
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date
June 07, 2016
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV010000 - Juvenile Fiction | Bedtime & Dreams
JUV057000 - Juvenile Fiction | Stories in Verse (see also Poetry)
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Moon
Bedtime
Stories in rhyme

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