Snowball Moon

The glow of the winter moon becomes even more brilliant when a power outage sends a neighborhood into darkness. Games and fireside reading are put on hold as two siblings in an Asian family get bundled up and head out into the night for sledding and snowball fights. In her first children’s book, Slayton recounts the action in staccato rhymes that land like snowflakes (“Down the hill,/ winter thrill./ Frozen lake—/ where’s the brake?”) and dovetail nicely with Bishop’s crisp and carefully drafted scenes. When the siblings finally head to bed, the sheep they count soar over their heads, out the window, and into a snowball fight while woodland creatures take their turn sledding—a whimsical reminder of just how magical a snowy night can be. Ages 3–6. [em]Author’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. Illustrator’s agent: Mela Bolinao, MB Artists. (Sept.) [/em]