Mighty Moby

DaCosta and Young pay spirited tribute to Moby-Dick, incorporating a twist that recalls their previous collaboration, Nighttime Ninja. In a closing note, they explain that the story began with Young’s dramatic mixed-media collages; DaCosta then crafted a text inspired by sea chanteys and using words from Melville’s text. “Three long years we’ve been at sea,/ Homeward bound we want to be,” sing three sailors at the outset, shown as dancing silhouettes against an expanse of black. After the whale is spotted, it engulfs the pages; it’s only seen in full as the sailors’ boats approach (“Row quiet... Row fast... Hold steady now—”) and the captain unleashes his harpoon. Young repeatedly shifts between vertical and horizontal layouts, forcing readers to turn the book as they turn the pages, evoking the churn of the sea and the violence of the struggle. The revelation that this man vs. nature conflict is being staged during a child’s bath—a giant photographic hand reaches in to pull the stopper on the drain—is a delight, and an ideal lead-in to the calming bedtime conclusion. Ages 4–8. [em]Agent: Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis. (Aug.) [/em]