Moonlight

August 4, 2003
In a gentle holiday outing, Moonlight, a black cat with a pink nose and friendly green eyes, prowls under a starlit Halloween sky. She gazes at glowing jack-o'-lanterns ("Pumpkins smile at her") and, in casual feline style, curls up on a seated scarecrow ("Straw laps welcome her"). Rylant's (Cat Heaven) quiet sentences convey Moonlight's contentment, as do the lazy rolling hillsides and shady pine-green lawns in Sweet's (Bouncing Time) paintings. Mellow Moonlight, who never hisses or puffs her fur, happily crouches in a tree as owls fly by and unhurriedly saunters through a silent graveyard: "It is her favorite night of all." Ages 2-5.

September 1, 2003
PreS-Gr 2-Told in rhythmic prose that almost purrs when read aloud, this black cat's story enchants with a perfect blend of art and text. On the opening spread, Moonlight waits patiently for readers to catch up with her in a pumpkin patch of vibrant orange. Then, she walks across rolling meadows, along fences, and past hay fields. "Moonlight walks the night. She sees lights going off in the houses. Now only pumpkins will shine." The feline snuggles affectionately on the lap of a man made of straw and watches many splendors of the night, including trick-or-treating children and reflections of stars on a pond. Sweet's acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations bring the feline and the pumpkins to life. Luminously serene blues and greens predominate and harmonize with the cozy, comforting moods and emotions the text evokes. Especially enchanting is the close-up illustration of Moonlight's back as she sits placidly on a tree branch, facing a huge, yellow moon. The varying perspectives throughout the book are bound to keep even the youngest children intrigued.-James K. Irwin, Poplar Creek Main Library, Steamwood, IL

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2003
PreS-K. Rylant and Sweet offer a black cat's eye view of Halloween night in a gentle dreamscape where pumpkins smile, owls fly, and stars shine. In simple, poetic prose, Rylant tracks the meandering cat's night journey through streets of wildly colorful houses and trick-or-treaters, past ponds, hay stacks, and pumpkin fields: "Moonlight walks the night. / She sees lights going off in the houses. / Now only pumpkins will shine." Sweet's endearingly childlike, color-rich paintings convey an appreciation for the ever-deepening night, effectively contrasting the glow of animal eyes, jack-o'-lanterns, house windows, and moonlight with a dark purple evening sky. A soothing, ghoul-free, utterly noncreepy Halloween picture book for the preschool set.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2004
In this gentle holiday story, Moonlight the cat loves exploring the world at night, especially on Halloween. Sweet's large, bright paintings, filled with smiling jack-o'-lanterns, set the scene and are easily shared with a group. Little actually happens in the book, but even the youngest listeners will enjoy the details in both the text and the art.

(Copyright 2004 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)