Rise the Moon

by Eileen Spinelli, Raúl Colón (Illustrator)

Enchanting scenes of a moonlit night grace the pages of this ode to moon's spell and splendor. Share the magic with a tomcat yowling atop a fence, newly hatched turtles scuttling out to sea, a dancer performing a rooftop recital, and a young mother rocking her baby while bathed in moonlight.

An acclaimed author and artist offer something different for bedtime-an inspiring look at how the moon captivates our minds and hearts.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, Fiction, Art

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2003

About the author

Eileen Spinelli is an award-winning children's book author from southeastern Pennsylvania. She has written over 100 picture books and novels for children. Her husband is Jerry Spinelli, who also writes books for children.

Reviews

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book that captures the magic of a full moon. Rhyming text with a gentle lilt show the reader all of the creatures under the spell of the moon, from the night shift baker to the howling wolf pack. Dreamy and filled with the moon's "spell of splendor" this book is just a beautiful tribute to a lovely full moon.

[Kit Feral · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So rise the moon, so round and bright, let its tender magic fall. Within its spell of splendor we are moon-hearted creatures all." ♡

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to see many different ways people can appreciate the moon.

[Joey Starr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book Rise the Moon is a very well illustrated book on what happens when the moon comes out. I gave this book three stars because I didn’t enjoy the story of the book, however, the illustrations were great!

Guided reading: N/A
DRA Level: N/A
Traits: presentation

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our summer school theme is NASA and space this year. So, I am teaching fiction and non-fiction about the moon, stars, and aliens. We have lots and lots of cool plans. For example, we are designing our own life-sized aliens, having spaceship races (decorated Frisbee), writing poems about what the moon is really made of: green cheese, milk, white chocolate, a pearl... Their ideas are vast and fun. As a part of summer school, we are reading tons and tons of moon, star, and alien related books. I'll review some of them here.

I love Eileen Spinelli, but was pretty disappointed in this one. It was lyrical, and she sure has a gift for language. But, it wasn't engaging for the kids. It was more of a poem and an odd one at that.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eileen Spinelli consistently gets paired with excellent artists to work with in creating her stories, and the result we see is an added depth to the very good writing that she always produces.

Rise the Moon, more than most of Eileen Spinelli's picture books, seems to be told more through the artwork of Raúl Colón than through the text. It's a poetic book about our moon and its silvery light that bathes our world to varying degrees nearly every night, and the people who enjoy that fresh light in a variety of pleasant ways. I would give one and a half stars to Rise the Moon.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rise the moon
and lunar moth,
drawn to its lovely shine,
flits across the blossoms
of the dreamy moonflower vine.

Gorgeous illustrations accompany verse like this on each page. "Moon" is repeated throughout the text as it is seen by different creatures and people all over the world.

[Sandy McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical, warm, peaceful.

Shows how different people use moonlight, as described in the last lines.

"So rise the moon, so round and bright, let its tender magic fall. Within its spell of splendor we are moon-hearted creatures all."

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, dreamy illustrations.

[Trang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades k-5. Phases of the moon. Effects of moonlight.

[Aaron Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for students in grades one through three to learn about the effects the moon has on the earth. It also touches on the phases of the moon.

[Alexis Demaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautifully illustrated and a great book to introduce students to rhyming.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the rhyming pattern. Gorgeous illustrations.

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helps students understand a little more about the moon. This is a great book to use while teaching lesson about the night sky.

[Angie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for young readers who are learning the art of rhyming and the lyrical beauty of poetry.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Things happening during the night.

[Ame · Rating 5 out of 5]

A celebration of nighttime with lovely pictures. You'll get no complaints from me here, except I wish my young audience had been more attentive when I read it to them! Next time, perhaps...

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork for this book is amazingly beautiful -- far better than the text, which is OK, but not quite brilliant.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moon lights the night for farmers, mothers and babies, wolves, and more.

[Renae Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poem is an adorable look at what goes on at night time. It would be fascinating for children who may not get to do much after the sun goes down. You could also use it to talk about the stages of the moon. The story itself has a full moon, but the other stages are represented on the inside of the cover pages.

6+1 Traits:
Word Choice
Organization

Grade Level Equivalent: 1.3
Guided Reading: H