Max and the Tag-Along Moon

It’s hard to leave Granpa’s house, but he has a promise for young Max: the “big fine moon” in the sky “will always shine for you... on and on!” Granpa seems right for most of the “swervy-curvy” trip home—which is beautifully captured by the velvety textures, luminous palette, and curvilinear shapes of Cooper’s spreads. Then storm clouds turn the sky dark, and in Max’s anxious face it’s easy to see that he’s wondering whether the loneliness and disappointment brought on by the moon’s disappearance means something about his own world, too: what happens when someone he love disappears? Many authors would have brought in another adult to help Max mediate his feelings, but Cooper (Brick by Brick) gives the boy room to think, so that when moon reappears, Max has a deeper understanding of what Granpa’s promise means: love, like the moon’s light, goes “on and on.” Writing in poetic, evocative prose, Cooper offers just the right amount of support to the lush illustrations and the thoughtful, observant hero. Ages 3–7. (June)