Full Worm Moon

Each year as winter changes into spring, earthworms burrow out of the hard ground to dance beneath the full moon, leaving behind spiral mounds of dirt. In gentle prose offset by bursts of excited dialogue, Lemieux presents a long-ago Algonquian family as they share a legend about the night of the Full Worm Moon. Atuk and Mequin have listened to the story of the worms all winter and, now that the full moon is here, their father has promised they can spend the night outside, huddled under elkskins, watching for the worms. The hushed, reverential tones of the narrative are matched by ephemeral, loosely rendered watercolors. Mottled browns, blues and indigos convey the late winter chill, while splashes of color evoke the life-giving forces in nature. When the worms make their appearance, they are silvery spirits, rising from the ground like twists of steam bathed in moonlight. Both text and artwork capture the beauty and majesty of the natural world. Thought-provoking and poetic. Ages 4-up. (Apr.)