BOOKLIST REVIEW

Issue: August 1, 2024

The Moons.

By Chan Poling. Illus. by Lucy Michell

Aug. 2024. 32p. Minnesota Historical Society, $17.95 (9781681342955). PreS-Gr. 1

Lucy's mother tells her daughter of their imminent move from an apartment in the city to a house

in the country. The girl doesn't want to leave behind everything familiar, especially her friends,

but tries to make the most of the new living situation by entertaining herself in the yard and

cornfields that surround the big white house. The quiet location is very different from what Lucy

was used to in the city with all its noise and hustle-bustle. After the novelty of the place wears off,

Lucy gives in to her feelings of loneliness and sings a sad song to the sky. Blue Moon, one of

many passing moons in the sky, hears Lucy's song and tells the child that she also loves to sing

both sad and happy songs. Papa Moon, Mother Moon, Brother Moon, and Uncle Gibbous are

always nearby, but it is with Blue Moon that Lucy becomes friends, easing her loneliness. Bold

illustrations using strong patterns and saturated colors add liveliness to this story about the

sadness that can accompany a big change.

-- Maryann Owen