The Night the Moon Fell: A Maya Myth

When a gust from her grandfather's blowgun causes Luna to tumble from the sky and fall into the ocean, the little fishes help her rise once again, in an updated retelling of a traditional Mopan Maya myth from Belize.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A retelling of a Mopan Maya myth concerning the creation of the Milky Way. The moon, Luna, is felled from the sky by a chance shot from her grandfather's blowgun. She tumbles into the sea, breaking to pieces as she falls. Lost in the dark depths of the ocean, she manages to pull herself back together with a little help from her new friends, the fish. The descriptive writing imbues both Luna and the fish with character-spunky in the case of the moon and indelibly hopeful and cheerful in the instance of the fish-and gives the story enough drama to engage young readers and listeners. The progression from sadness and despair to problem solution to the triumphant return to the sky with the fish in tow is masterfully presented and ably extended by Domi's effervescent watercolor illustrations. Layers of translucent color convey both the luminescence of the sea and the tranquility of the sky. The combination of fantasy and the familiar, of the idea of the moon as a living entity and the power of friendship, proves irresistible and gives this retelling the stature to stand beside such excellent examples of the genre as Lois Ehlert's Moon Rope (1992) and Cuckoo (1997, both Harcourt). Note: The Spanish edition of Mora's book appears on page 179.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 2-5. In this retelling of a Mayan myth, the moon, Luna, falls from the sky and breaks into slivers and bits on the ocean floor. There, with the help of the friendly fish, Luna sees the color and beauty in the sea, and she finds the strength to gather the pieces, make herself whole, and return with her friends to her place in the sky. Beyond the archetype of exile and return, there's not much story, especially for young kids; but Mora's a fine poet, and her words are simple and immediate ("Where am I? Where's the sky? / Broken, sad, lost am I"). Mexican artist Domi's beautiful watercolors show the splashing rainbow colors connecting fish, sea, flowers, birds, moon, and sky. Hazel Rochman
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