Mama, Let's Make a Moon

K-Gr 4—In this imaginative and poetic narrative, a sister enlists her mother's and younger brother's help in making a round silver moon and hanging it to the sky. Folklike silhouette paper cuttings over watercolor backgrounds portray the family's delight in creating something out of nothing. Mama finds a recipe in a box tied with a lock of hair, and the children collect ingredients, including silver from a stream, three jars of fireflies, some marshmallow goo, a dipper of dew, and milk of moo. Soft rhymes move the creation story forward until "they made a BIG moon as wide as the sky" and, with the help of the forest animals, roll and lift it into the sky, "hung in the heavens, from star steps of love." The tale begs to be read aloud, especially at bedtime, with a loved one snuggled close. The detailed and unique illustrations depicting rural mountain life complement the characters' spirit of adventure and sense of family closeness.—Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD