New Moon

by Pegi Deitz Shea

Boyds Mills Press publishes a wide range of high-quality fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, novels, and nonfiction

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Fiction, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

After showing his baby sister Vinnie the full moon—la luna—one November night, a young boy finds that she is always looking for it in this sweet picture book about two siblings and their fascination with this heavenly body. Discontented when it cannot be seen because of clouds or rain, and confused when it has a different shape, she is nevertheless pleased to find it in so many of her storybooks. Then one winter day the boy races home, eager to share the sight of the moon rising in the afternoon sky—visible during the day...

Published in 1996, New Moon is the fifth picture book I have read from author Pegi Deitz Shea, and the second from illustrator Cathryn Falwell, and is probably not a book I would have stumbled across on my own, had I not recently rediscovered Shea's work, and decided to seek out more of it. It offers a heartwarming depiction of the loving relationship between a brother and sister—the illustrations, and the use of the word la luna hints that this is a Latino family—as well as the wonder of a very small child first discovering the existence of the moon, and by extension, the magic of the outside world. The accompanying artwork, created using a cut-paper collage technique, is expressive and appealing. This one reminded me a bit of some of author/illustrator Judith Caseley's work—solidly appealing, slice-of-life stories for the picture book set. Recommended to those seeking sweet sibling stories for younger children.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy points out to his baby sister the Moon in the winter sky. She is fascinated and searches enthusiastically for it every night thereafter, but cloudy nights, raining nights, and the dark of the moon intervene... until finally the crescent reappears-- and her brother shows her the moon appearing in its late afternoon sky. They run to the top of the hill and enjoy the sight as the sun sets.
There's a gratifyingly strong bond between older sibling and toddler here, with the older sibling interacting with the baby and helping to take care of her, as well as enjoying her increased mastery of words and concepts. Who wouldn't love these kids and their enjoyment of this element of nature.

(To clarify: this isn't really a pagan story, but with the recurring moon element and family bonding, pagan parents may find it fun to share with their children.)

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've been talking about "la luna" quite a bit lately because of this book. I like that the story is of an older sibling teaching and playing with a smaller child, and I'm a huge fan of the pictures by Catherine Falwell (love her work!).

[Carol Millward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet story--my young grandchildren loved hearing it read to them over and over.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, funny, relatable, mooooooooooon.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with my 5yo