Jane has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. She sets the highest standard for the industry, not only in the meaningful body of work she has created, but also in her support of fellow authors and artists. Her books range from the bestselling How Do Dinosaurs series to the Caldecott winning Owl Moon to popular novels such as The Devil’s Arithmetic, Snow in Summer, and The Young Merlin Trilogy, to award-winning books of poetry such as Grumbles from the Forest, and A Mirror to Nature. Matt Phelan is the creator of the graphic novels The Storm in the Barn (winner of a Scott O'Dell Award); Around the World; Bluffton; and the New York Times bestseller Snow White. He has been nominated for five Will Eisner Awards, including Best Writer/Artist and Best Graphic Album (for Bluffton). He is the author and illustrator of the picture books Pignic, Turtle Walk, and Druthers, and has illustrated many books for young readers, including Flora's Very Windy Day, by Jeanne Birdsall; Marilyn's Monster, by Michelle Knudsen; and The Higher Power of Lucky, winner of a Newbery Medal, by Susan Patron. He is also the author of Knights vs. Dinosaurs, Knights vs. Monsters, and Knights vs. the End (of Everything). Matt Phelan lives in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
PreS-Gr 1--The allure of the moon has been a favorite theme for
picture book authors from Margaret Wise Brown and Eric Carle to
Frank Asch and Mordicai Gerstein. Yolen has explored it previously
in Owl Moon. Here, writing with her daughter, she imagines the
trajectory of astronaut Neil Armstrong's lifelong interest. Flying
a kite at the beach in the early morning light, a tousle-haired boy
becomes aware of the moon's loneliness: 'The stars were all
abed./No one below was singing to her./No one was sending up
rockets/or writing poems about her.' He knows how good a hug feels,
but the moon is too far, so he sends a note via kite--the first of
many. Readers watch the boy grow, gazing through telescopes and
learning to drive, to fly, and, finally, to undertake a rocket
voyage. At his lunar destination, an outstretched hand signals the
fulfillment of his early wish. The text is spare but full of warmth
and lyricism. Phelan's lively, flowing inked outlines convey both
the steadfast connection between boy and orb and the movement born
of passion. The paintings contain subtle and pleasing parallels,
e.g., the rocket's orange and yellow exhaust mimics the
flame-colored tail of Armstrong's childhood kite; the conclusion
echoes the opening while extending the message. Panels effectively
collapse time at key moments. VERDICT Smooth pacing and narrative
clarity combine with an evocative presentation to make this a first
choice to celebrate the 50th anniversary of America's moon landing.
--Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library
*School Library Journal*
In a wistful story that honors Neil Armstrong, the moon is feeling
lonely: 'No one below was singing to her. No one was sending up
rockets or writing poems about her.' But below, a boy at the
seashore sees the moon and senses its unhappiness: 'So he wrote on
his kite, promising to come some day for a visit.' Phelan
illustrates in loose, curling forms that conjure a sense of
movement. In sequential panels, the boy is seen peering through a
small microscope, receiving a telescope as a teenager, and, as a
young adult, gazing through the window at the moon. After learning
to ride a bike and drive a car, the boy learns to 'fly a plane and
a rocket. Then one day, when he had learned enough, he went up, up,
up in a big rocket ship with a fiery tail.' At last he lands on the
moon, touching his hand to its surface: 'and thinsp;'Hello, Moon,'
he said. 'I've come for that visit.'and thinsp;' Yolen and Stemple
remind readers of the simple awe of a most wonderful journey. Ages
4--8. (Apr.)
*Publisher's Weekly*
What would it be like if the moon was your friend? In the pages of
A Kite for Moon, children ages 4-8 will find out as they walk
alongside a little boy who journeys through life to achieve his
dream of becoming an astronaut. The story begins when a little boy,
who is flying his kite, notices a sad Moon. He sends up kites to
her, writing notes promising he will come see her someday. This
promise propels him through years of studying, learning, and
training to become an astronaut. Until he finally goes up, up, up
in a big rocket ship with a fiery tail! Beautifully illustrated by
Matt Phelan, A Kite for Moon is a collaborative picture book
written by the team of Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple. While
certain to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition to
family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community
library picture book collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that A Kite for Moon is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $4.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio
book (Dreamscape Media, 9781974969197, $14.99, CD).
*Midwest Book Review, June 2019, Children’s Bookwatch, Picture
Books*
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