UNDER THE CLAM MOON

An uncle and child search the beach for clams.

Clad in a coat and boots, the young narrator sets out on a nighttime family excursion with Uncle Darius while Mama and a younger sibling wait by the bonfire. “Tonight we hunt for doughnuts. But they ain’t sugary treats. They’re holes in the sand where clams meet.” Uncle Darius and the little one know just where to look; still, though they dig and dig for clams, the mollusks are too fast tonight. Wells’ lyrical prose has a delightful cadence, ideal for reading aloud, pairing well with Rahman’s atmospheric artwork, made up of full-page illustrations with the occasional double-page spread. A palette of blues and purples creates a soothing nighttime ambience, while strategic highlights pop: luminescent moonlight, glassy ripples in the water, and the child’s long curly hair, always in artful, fluid motion. At last, the youngster triumphantly digs out a huge clam, and the simple tale ends on a surprising note of humor, with Uncle Darius playing a good-natured prank on the protagonist. The family is depicted with varying shades of brown skin. The backmatter includes a guide to clams found in the Pacific Northwest, a note in which Wells discusses her own experiences clamming as a child growing up near Seattle, and tips on clamming.

A dreamy ode to family and a soft, nocturnal, natural world.