Sun and Moon Have a Tea Party

This final story by the late Heo (Flabbersmashed About You) opens as the sun and the moon meet for tea one afternoon. “Do you know what moms and dads do?” Moon asks, holding her teacup delicately. “They get their children ready for bed.” Stoop (Pup and Bear) paints what Moon sees: a mother helping a child into a pajama top as a father tucks a smaller sibling into bed. “No, they don’t,” Sun says flatly. “Moms and dads get their children ready for school.” Sun watches the same family headed out the door, the two children wearing knapsacks. As the counterparts begin bickering, young readers will recognize the problem: Moon sees the world only at night, while Sun sees it during the day. Stoop paints on plywood, and the grain underneath her artwork helps her colors drift and fade, giving a dreamy feeling to a celestial debate played out on the streets of a bustling, diverse community. Heo’s tale has the weight and force of a fable, with a timeless quality that speaks to a universal human dilemma: limited point of view. Ages 3–7. (July)