When Moon Blooms

Toddler-PreS–As an engaging first entry in the “My Living World” series, this story in verse offers young readers and their caregivers a rewarding opportunity to think about and marvel at the moon’s phases through the lens of Mexican Indigenous folklore. Set at nighttime, a young girl learns about the moon’s four primary phases from her mother, who speaks of their family’s traditional stories and reveals the strong connections between the moon and life on earth with poetic detail. Key Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the lyrical composition, delicately highlighting and celebrating the story’s roots in Mexican culture. Readers will find it easy to share in the wonder expressed by their fellow listener, the young girl, as she thrives under her mother’s warm attention and seems happily entranced by the moon in her many appearances throughout the story. The girl’s mother describes each phase of the moon in connection to how a living thing may feel or grow, from awakening to flourishing to sleeping, all of which are reflected in the illustrations of assorted animals, as well as depictions of the young girl in her room. Colorful stars and dots flicker across the pages, filling gaps between the finely lined figures and surrounding an expansive white moon, while a charming mix of flat forms and touches of imperfect lines adds texture and life to solid backgrounds. While best suited for bedtime due to how the story winds down, this book can also match a child’s interest about the moon at any time of day.