The Moon’s Almost Here
by Patricia MacLachlan; 
illus. by Tomie dePaola
Primary    McElderry    32 pp.
6/16    978-1-4814-2062-4    $17.99
e-book ed.  978-1-4814-2063-1    $10.99

MacLachlan’s lyrical text combines with ethereal illustrations by dePaola in this simultaneously nostalgic and fresh bedtime book. A generous trim size gives dePaola ample space for the sky under which his characters, the mime Pierrot and his child, wander. The big, open sky slowly darkens as they wait for the moon to rise and encounter birds, sheep, and other animals settling down for the night. Although the hues employed are different, the darkening palette of the acrylic paintings is reminiscent of a similarly darkening “great green room”; references to twinkling little stars evoke one famed nursery rhyme while an image of a dog jumping over the moon is a playful twist on another. MacLachlan’s verse is so effortless, particularly in its closing rhymes, that it sounds like one that’s always been here: “Good night fireflies, / Lighting my night. / Welcome white moon, / So big / And so bright.” All elements combine to offer a soothing, beautiful bedtime book that feels classic rather than derivative.

From the May/June 2016 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.