Mae and the Moon

Gigot, a visual effects artist for film, debuts by introducing Mae, a girl with long blond braids and a deep attachment to the moon that hangs above her cozy small town. Set almost entirely at night, the story follows along as Mae plays in the backyard in the moonlight and strolls through a park with her parents. As the pages turn, readers will likely notice that the moon is waning; midway through, it disappears completely, with Gigot offering a wordless spread of a black night sky, dotted with stars. “Even moons need to rest,” explains Mae’s mother. Determined to reunite with the moon, Mae constructs a cardboard rocket ship, and in the book’s triumphant climax, Gigot pictures Mae’s vessel tethered to the coolly glowing crescent while the young aviatrix gives the moon a full-body hug. Gigot’s pages are bathed in the dusty dark blues and grays of twilight, the moon literally looming large in Mae’s life. The straightforward writing doesn’t call much attention to itself, but Gigot’s smart use of wordless scenes allows the story’s emotional peaks to have their full impact. Ages 1–8. (Sept.)