The Moon Inside

by Sandra V. Feder, Aimée Sicuro (Illustrations)

Yellow is Ella’s favorite color — she loves the bright, sunny daytime. But every night, as darkness falls, she becomes afraid. When her mother encourages her to look at the soft glow of the moon and fireflies dancing in the night, and to listen to the chirping of crickets and the gentle rustling of the wind, Ella gradually realizes that nighttime can be something to look forward to rather than something to fear.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Storytime, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[The Book Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most beautiful children's books I have read to date. The subject matter is something all of us can relate to at one time. Being afraid of the dark. How many times do children wake up afraid or won't go to sleep without a night light? This book will help change that.

Ella is a spunky little girl who loves the sunshine and anything bright and colorful. Her favorite color is yellow, and she is great at drawing beautiful pictures. Unfortunately, Ella has a problem. Come every night, when the darkness sets in she becomes very afraid.

Eventually, her mother figures away to help her get past her fears. I love that this teaches children to look at adults to help them be comforted. The mother is gentle and patient. The mother doesn't belittle her daughter's feelings. She then encourages her to look at the light the night brings. The moon's glow, the softness of the fireflies.

This helps little Ella realize that the night isn't all that scary. She can look forward to the calmness of the moons glow. The fear is still there, but she at least can rest. It didn't solve all her problems, like some magical cure. It was a very reasonable ending to the story.

The art in this book is gorgeous. This might be the most beautiful book of 2016 in my humble opinion. The beautiful illustrations will keep your child entertained, and will blow you away.

This is a must have in any children's library. I received this book for review from the publisher in exchange for my honest and completely unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf.

Lovely book in which a child who is afraid of the dark becomes enthralled with the moon. What I wonder is: would the kid freak out at the new moon? It's nice, it's positive, it doesn't present the fear as something which must be fixed, and that's a very low key way to address it or fear in general.

Sicuro's art is stylized and charming. All the yellow with just tiny bits of pink and red makes it feel like a throwback to midcentury picture books.

Library copy

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed media, gouache, and ink illustrations with some digital editing highlight a story about overcoming fears. Each night, Ella grows nervous about the approaching dark. But after her mother encourages her to see and eventually embrace some of night's beauties, including fireflies, crickets, and the moon, she comes to see that the dark has plenty of things to recommend it, including her favorite color. After her changed view, she leaves fewer lights on as darkness falls. This book might well address some of the fears youngsters have about being alone in the dark. Although her fears haven't suddenly disappears, at least by the end of the book Ella realizes that night and day both have something to offer her. I liked how patiently her mother deals with her fears.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Ella loves the color yellow, and the sun! What she doesn't like is night and the dark. Early evening finds her walking through the house turning on lights. Her thoughtful mother leads her gently into a beautiful summer night, to greet that moon and see the glowing fireflies, enjoy the crickets singing. Soon Ella realizes that while it's not a sunny day, there can be good things when the moon is inside! My favorite line: "It's my favorite color, only quieter." For those who might be fearful of the dark, this will be a wonderful book to read and discuss. The illustrations are nicely realistic in all the story, and the details in the dark are terrific.

[Heidi Goehmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for little and not-so-little ones with creative illustrations and coloring to drive home the concepts and address common fears children have about the dark.

[SL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored this one from start to finish. Such a sweet and clever way of explaining to kids to not be afraid of the dark. I loved especially how the story uses color—and demonstrates that you can't appreciate the light without the darkness and vice versa. Beautiful illustrations, well-written, and just well-done! I wouldn't hesitate recommending this one :)

[Olivia S · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Before they went back into the house, Ella looked up at the golden moon. 'It's my favorite color - only quieter,' she said."

This is kind of a nice, calm picture book. Ella doesn't like when the light goes away at night, but her mom shows her that the night time has her favourite colour, yellow, too. Nothing amazing, just nice. Interesting illustration style.

[Beckie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a little girl is afraid of the dark, her mother shows her the light of the night. As much as this family loves the Moon, this book is perfect. The illustrations were gorgeous and enjoyed by both kids.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful picture book is about a girl who confronts her fears and therefore gains a new friend, the moon. The mixed media illustrations make the moon come alive- and the reader is drawn to the yellow which is as comforting for us as it is for Ella.

[Ameade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my kid's favorite bedtime story. My daughter loves this beautifully illustrated book. She just turned four and for the past year or so has been afraid of the dark. This book helped her see the nighttime as special and full of wonder. Highly recommend this book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl doesn't want it to be night time because her favorite color is yellow, and she doesn't want the yellow to go away. I thought the illustrations were beautiful, but I didn't really care for the story.

[Helaina Storie · Rating 4 out of 5]

About a girl who is afraid of dark. Would be a great story to help children think about the night in a different way.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations show how Ella learns to love night time as well as day time.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a well-told story about being okay with the dark.

[Tammy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughters initial rating would be an ok, because she's a little young (2y/o). As a mom, however, I am in love with the story and am excited to read it to her again in a year or so.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One mother, one daughter, one moon. This touching story will make you want to sit outside and just listen to the sounds of the night as the sun goes down and the moon appears.

[Aimée Sicuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book that addresses fears of the dark with small children. The lush night scenes featuring a glowing moon show the child Ella that is still light in the darkness.

[Latifah S Ningrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story in this book is quite calming. The illustrations with the dominant yellow color in this book also magically make me feel calm even though I actually don't like the color yellow.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

We fear the dark at my house, so this book and its beautiful illustrations was a perfect read.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet introduction to the beauty of nighttime (as opposed to fear of the dark).

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl is afraid of the night and makes her mom go into each room turning on the lights as the sun sets. One night her mother shows her the quiet magic of the night and she becomes less afraid.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every night, when the dark entered the house, traveling slowly down the walls and over the floors, Ella grew afraid.

I remember being utterly terrified of the dark as a child- scared by the nighttime, by the lack of sunshine, by vivid nightmares and of being preoccupied with the absence of light. While I cannot recall a specific book that helped calm my fears as a child, I do remember that just having my parents gently singing and reading to me acted as a kind of salve. Since my foray into studying children's literature and children's librarianship, I have been interested in delving into picture books about nighttime, or picture books about fears of the dark- books that approach and take on those universal fears and attempt to ease the young reader. The Moon Inside by Sandra V. Feder and Aimée Sicuro is a reflective, quiet and gorgeously written and illustrated title; a definite standout picture book to add to the genre of reads about the nighttime.

Through the narrative of one young girl's fears of the dark and nighttime- and her mother's patient steps to assuage those fears- readers are taken on a richly illustrated, thoughtfully written journey. The young main character of the story, Ella, just loves the colour yellow and, in turn, loves the sun. And so every night, when dusk starts to settle and the sun begins to leave- as "the sun belongs to the daytime"- Ella becomes scared. After Ella's mom encourages time spent outside on the porch, listening, watching and noticing things that come alive and unhidden as the moon appears, Ella begins to appreciate the golden, quiet moon.

Along with The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen, Flashlight by Lizi Boyd, and Emma Yarlett's Orion and the Dark, The Moon Inside is now up high on my list of nighttime favourites. Visually striking, with a gloriously rich colour palette that shifts from the light and sunny to the dark, deep and luminescent, Sicuro's illustrations are incredible here- a perfect fit to highlight Feder's text. Feder's text is lovely and so elegant here; giving the time and space for Ella to express her genuine, understandable fears, while allowing and giving time for a believable, satisfying turn of emotions. The Moon Inside is, overall, a beautiful read- an anytime read, of course, but also perfect for nighttime rumination.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the sun subsides and the moon rises, the comfort of the night begins.

A. Sicuro's illustrations made this little story especially delightful.

[Natalka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story idea can reassure young children of a number of possible fears by figuring out how to look at the other side of situations. Children who are afraid of the dark outdoors are missing a lot of wonderful colors, sounds, and smells - this might encourage them to go out and explore, or sit and enjoy as this mother and child did.
The predominance of yellow throughout the house is in contrast to the bold black lines and shapes, which reflect the sun and dark of the story!
A few sentences are a bit awkward to me, such as where she took her mother's hand but then the next page they are sitting at a table coloring & having tea. The text says its getting dark but the pages are still bright yellow.

[LtLEGOReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the tale of Ella, a girl who loves the colour yellow, sunshine and all things bright! She doesn't like the dark and every night, she becomes afraid as night time falls - something that we may have identified with as a child.

Ella's mom showed her to look at darkness / night time in a different light by asking Ella to look out for the cricket's sounds etc.

Brilliant concept. A must-have for any home library for children.

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully crafted story reflecting on the brilliance of day and the sometimes worrisome darkness of night. Soft and lovely pictures place mom and daughter together in both settings and through loving support the realization comes that the night can be just as welcoming in its quiet, moonlit beauty as a bright day. Night fears be gone !!!
Reviewer #15

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ella doesn't like the dark. She likes the yellow of daytime but isn't there some yellow in nighttime too. Cute one on one or preschool, maybe the right toddler group. I really liked the lesson on being afraid and pushing past it.

[Marfita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naive illustrations show Yellow Ella's fear of the dark. Ha ha. See, her name sort of rhymes with her favorite color and is also symbolic of fear. Her mother shows her the peaceful softness of nighttime and the "yellow" moon to allay her fears.
Can't you sleep, Little Bear? does it better.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting illustrations enhance this gentle tale about a little girl who begins to appreciate the quiet, lovely night.