The Little Moon Princess

Lee's debut, a creation story about the Milky Way, escapes the ponderousness of many invented myths, and her artwork contributes a glowing, lighter-than-air quality to the pages. The surface of the princess's moon is covered with flowers, a multicolored jewel at the center of each one. When she confesses that she's afraid of the dark, a visiting sparrow asks, “Why don't we spread your jewels throughout the sky so they shine in the darkness? Then you will never be afraid again.” This potentially treacly suggestion is tempered by the dark gray mist surrounding the moon, in which toothy creatures seem to lurk, making the princess's fear easy to understand. The princess and sparrow struggle to distribute the jewels properly; when tossing them by hand and blowing them into place fail to do the job, the princess scatters them with her cape. After the sparrow delivers one final jewel, “the brightest star of all,” the two cuddle under a quilt of star-studded night. It's a fruitful combination of ordinary bedtime elements and interplanetary sweep, and a fine first effort. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)