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WHEN THE MOON CAME DOWN

A quietly enchanting story to share right before naptime or bed to remind young children of the safety and comfort of the...

Moons and rabbits have a long history of sharing stories—witness the U.S. classic Goodnight Moon or folktales from China, Japan, and Korea.

In this new bedtime story by a well-known Turkish writer/illustrator, the moon and a rabbit enter into a friendly relationship. In luminous watercolor scenes, with deep blue skies and twinkling stars, the moon travels down to Earth one night when soft, white Little Bunny wakes, hungry, but is afraid to venture far from his bed. Starting as a crescent, the moon lights the way for the pair to find luscious berries. Each night, as the moon grows fuller, the two explore the local countryside. A tape measure artfully demarcates the white text of one page from a border showing the moon phases. Finally, when the moon is full, the prescient orb guesses Little Bunny’s wish. “Perhaps you should wish to climb up into the sky and touch the stars?” After a beautiful, wordless, double-page, full-bleed spread of the full moon and Little Bunny staring up at a shooting star in an endless night sky, the friends proceed to do just that. “The stars are delighted to meet Little Bunny. Together they dance across the sky.”

A quietly enchanting story to share right before naptime or bed to remind young children of the safety and comfort of the light that shines down upon the Earth at night. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-988-8341-76-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: minedition

Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019

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THE WILD ROBOT ON THE ISLAND

A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.

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What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?

“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.

A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: June 24, 2025

ISBN: 9780316669467

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025

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THE RUNAWAY PIGGY / EL COCHINITO FUGITIVO

The runaway cookie in this Mexican bakery is a soft, brown, stubby-tailed piglet as impertinently bold and smug in his continual escape as his Gingerbread Boy cousin. “Chase me! Chase me down the street. But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! / ¡Córrele, córrele! ¡Y Córrele más! ¡Soy el cochinito que jamás comerás!” This bouncy dual refrain extends the familiar cumulative text, rendered in both English and Spanish, as piggy manages to elude Marta the baker, Lorenzo the mechanic, Mamá Nita the beautician, Joaquín the telephone repairman and a host of other neighborhood adults—until he is outsmarted by Rosa, a little girl on her way to school, who foxily “helps him” cross the street. Safely tucked into her backpack, piggy is both a welcome surprise and an excuse for Rosa’s lateness to class. Deep opaque acrylic paintings of a colorful barrio and its residents in pursuit add the right amount of cultural flavor to this vivid Latino retelling. Recipe appended. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-55885-586-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público

Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010

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