Moonday

Rex, Adam

ISBN 10: 1423119207 ISBN 13: 9781423119203

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH, 2013

Synopsis

What do you do when the moon lowers itself into your backyard?
When mornings are replaced by perpetual night,
and people sigh—sleep in their eyes.
What do you do when the tide comes in,
and all the neighborhood dogs won't stop howling?

You take the moon for a ride. 

Adam Rex creates a fantastic tale that is both imaginative and beautiful; one that blurs the line between dreams and reality.

About this title

About the Author

Adam Rex is the multi-talented author of books for children, middle readers and young adults, as well as an accomplished illustrator. He has written such beloved picture books as School’s First Day of School (illustrated by Christian Robinson), has created both pictures and words for favorites like Are You Scared, Darth Vader?, Nothing Rhymes with Orange, andFrankenstein Makes a Sandwich; and he has illustrated books by bestselling authors like The Legend of Rock Scissors Paper by Drew Daywalt, Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett, and Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman. The True Meaning of Smekday was his first novel, followed by Smek for President! and other books for middle and teen readers. He grew up in Phoenix, got a BFA from the University of Arizona, and now lives in Tucson. 

Reviews

K-Gr 2-Many children looking out a car window have thought that the Moon was following them. This luminous fable starts out by drawing on that familiar experience, but when this girl wakes up the next day, there is no morning-just the Moon, "Lower and larger. And very nearly on the ground. It was in our backyard." The spare poetic text, combined with illustrations in dark and vibrant jewel tones, makes each page turn carry a contemplative weight. In darkness, people stumble and yawn through their days. The child walks home from school through a surreal nighttime landscape where people doze at stoplights and sleepwalk through their hobbies. Eventually, the narrator and her parents drive the Moon out to the top of a hill where the youngster tells it to "Stay." And it does. Its glow seems to leap off the page, eerie and pervasive compared to the warm but limited glow of electric lights. Because the adults' reactions are mundane, the story inhabits that magical territory that exists for young children who haven't yet figured the world out. Anything truly is possible. Children will love this tribute to their imaginings, and adults will appreciate the reminder that until you are taught otherwise, the Moon really can follow you all the way home.-Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, White Bear Lake, MNα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

As a girl and her parents drive home from a nearby hill, they watch the big, beautiful moon, which seems to follow them home. In the morning, they awaken to find the moon, slightly smaller than their house, floating balloon-like in their backyard. Though the girl goes to school, day never dawns. Teachers and townsfolk yawn. After school, the girl and her parents watch as tidal waters, drawn by the moon, seep into their yard. They hatch a plan to return the moon to the sky. Dreamlike, this picture book skates on thin ice with its mixture of fantasy and reality. Some narrative elements, such as the mother’s gently amusing final comment, strengthen the story, while others seem a bit contrived. Still, the image of the luminous moon, which feels close enough to touch and small enough for a child to explore, is well worth seeing. A drowsy, rather surreal bedtime story. Preschool-Grade 1. --Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1423119207
• ISBN 13: 9781423119203
• Illustrator: Rex Adam
• Number of pages: 40