Review by Booklist Review
An imaginative boy and his cat embark on a dreamy journey in this atmospheric picture book about a special celestial event: On the night of the blue moon, anything can happen. Under a pale, glowing moon dominating the night, the boy and cat set out on a familiar path through the woods, but the unusual light from the sky transforms the landscape. New paths appear, which lead them to a lake; and after wishing hard enough, they're lifted from their rowboat to the surface of the moon, where they marvel at the planet below, awash in blue. In Crowley's scratchy artwork, the variety of textures gives the illustrations a pleasing tactile quality. Meanwhile, the cool palette a panoply of blue hues, highlighted with luminous white, shadowy black, and pops of bold red echoes the quiet, poetic tone of the text. Although this doesn't quite break new ground, the evocative artwork and cozy wind-down message nevertheless make this a good choice for bedtime reading.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-The blue moon casts a mystical light one night, so a boy and his cat decide to go for a walk. Magical things occur as the two walk along: bluebells ring out a tune, a lake appears out of nowhere, and a sudden trip to the moon turns out to be everything the child could wish for. The decor of the boy's bedroom reveals his fascination with all things lunar, including a telescope, a poster of a man walking on the moon's surface, and the orange jumper the youngster was wearing while visiting the earth's satellite. Mixed media illustrations use a variety of materials such as gouache, graphite sticks, and colored pencils to create pictures in various shades of blue with white and a bit of bright red and orange included. VERDICT A magical adventure or a dream-listeners to the tale can decide for themselves. A fun and appealing bedtime choice.-Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library WI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A cat and his boy take a walk through the woods on the night of a blue moon, a night when anything can happen. They hear singing (it might have been birds or it might have been dragons) and come to a lake where thered never been a lake before. They climb into a waiting boat and have a magical adventure. When the boat ride becomes a trip to the moon, a full-bleed wordless double-page spread shows boy and cat on the moons surface, with the Earth distant in the starry sky. The digitally manipulated mixed-media illustrations use gouache, graphite sticks, pastels, colored pencils, and a water brush pen to attain a deeply saturated set of blues. Crowleys use of perspective combined with the glossy paper creates a lot of depth, as the light catches the darkest elements and makes them nearly glow. The fanciful, lyrical text and the boys shock of yellow hair make the book a bit reminiscent of The Little Prince. A final spread shows the boy home in bed, in a room with a telescope and other space memorabilia. Its a good choice for discussing with children what is real and what is made up, without insisting on one right answer. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A boy and his cat magically travel to the moon on the night of the blue moon. In this book that's reminiscent of The Little Prince in its poetic otherworldly-ness that is nevertheless firmly rooted in human longings, a white boy and his cat venture out on a familiar forest walk on the night of the blue moona time, the boy says, when "anything can happen." It's hard to overstate how tightly crafted this story is, from its gently precise narrative ("Wish-wish," say the wavesa hint to readers of the boy's longing to go to the moon) to its illustrative prowess: the cat wordlessly turns blue as it grooms itself in six sequential vignettes, alerting readers early to magical potential. With a sure touch O'Leary suspends reality as the boy and cat first go for a row and then journey to the moon, which is "perfect"but then, as in Sendak's masterpiece, loneliness brings them home again. Crowley's illustrations enhance and complete the story as he uses a predominantly blue-and-white palette to evoke a moonlit, shadow-filled night that convincingly creates magical possibility, just as the use of red for the boy's lifejacket and then spacesuit and the yellow glow of the lights of home create a feeling of warmth and safety. As magical as The Little Prince; as satisfying as Where the Wild Things Are. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
