New York Times Review
| Pinkney, who won a Caldecott Medal last year for "The Lion and the Mouse," brings a similar sumptuous, color-saturated aesthetic to this reimagining of the familiar bedtime lullaby, here expanded by a few verses from its most well-known version. A pleasingly expressive chipmunk - why is this rodent's particular cuteness overlooked in children's books? - stars in a free-form journey from woodland to dreamland, traveling at one point in a flying boat. His trajectory is confusing, but children are likely to view it as just another one of night's mysteries. STARS By Mary Lyn Ray. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. 40 pp. Beach Lane Books. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 6) Does anyone illustrate the facial expressions, postures and movements of children with the same gloriously authentic exuberance as Marla Frazee ("The Seven Silly Eaters," "Everywhere Babies")? Here, a star takes many forms - in the night, on a wand, as a snowflake or in the wilds of a young imagination. Well matched, Ray ("Mud," "Red Rubber Boot Day") grounds her text in the everyday experiences of young children. "A star is how you know it's almost night," she explains. "And the dark that comes doesn't feel so dark." LITTLE OWL'S NIGHT Written and illustrated by Divya Srinivasan. 32 pp. Viking. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 5) This exceptional first book by Srinivasan, a talented illustrator - her animations can be seen in the film "Waking Life" and her illustrations in The New Yorker - follows Little Owl during his nighttime explorations. How does the night end? Little Owl asks his mama. Little Owl's world, depicted in mossy greens and mushroom browns set dramatically against a black backdrop, is a romantic landscape of fireflies and nocturnal perambulations. Watch out, parents: this bedtime tale may even convert children who are afraid of the dark into adventuresome night owls. THE MAN IN THE MOON Written and illustrated by William Joyce. 56 pp. Atheneum. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) With the aura of an established classic, the first volume in Joyce's long-anticipated series, "The Guardians of Childhood," is worth the wait. And what a brilliant concept! The hero, MiM, or the Man in the Moon, is just the first beloved figure of childhood lore to get his own tale - the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost are to follow. With lots of detail in its gold-flecked blues, the lavish illustration will set 6-year-old minds ticking, and though the King of Nightmares makes an appearance, this is a story primarily about sweet. MY NAME IS MINA By David Almond. 300 pp. Delacorte Press. $15.99. (Middle grade/young adult; ages 9 to 12) "My name is Mina and I love the night," begins this prequel of sorts to Almond's acclaimed 1998 novel "Skellig"; it tells the story of the neighbor and friend of that earlier book's hero. Wildly imaginative, fantastical, occasionally maddening but mostly engrossing, "My Name Is Mina" is a novel for dark-eyed girls who love nothing better than to scribble furiously in their journals, as Mina often does. The home-schooled and somewhat lonely Mina is a perceptive, fiercely curious, and defiant but sensitive girl who will surely prove a heroine for many. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books. |
Publishers Weekly Review
| Joyce's (A Day with Wilbur Robinson) concoction, the inaugural offering in the Guardians of Childhood series (with films and 12 books to follow), is a rich, cinematic brew of steampunk fancies. His sumptuous spreads are crowded with rotund telescopes, Jules Verne rocket ships, and sherbet-bearing robots, all painted in a superb palette of indigo and gold. The infant Man in the Moon (named for the Moon Clipper, an extraterrestrial airship that disguises itself as a moon at night) is hidden away by his parents in order to escape the nefarious Pitch, "the King of Nightmares," renowned for "plundering planets, extinguishing stars, and scuttling every airship that crossed his path." Without his parents, but amply provided for, the acronymically nicknamed MiM grows up, round-faced and nattily dressed, orbiting Earth in the derelict clipper ("It was now just a moon"). Learning of the hopes and dreams of Earth's children, he gathers a team of fellow guardians to protect and console them. Joyce combines elemental fairyland themes-a cloistered heir, secret powers, mysterious good deeds-into a tale that's warm and fuzzy, swashbuckling, and dazzlingly inventive all at the same time. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. |
School Library Journal Review
| Gr 1-3-This debut title of the series spins a fantastical yarn about the origins of The Man in the Moon, aka MiM. As a child, he enjoys a safe and peaceful existence during the Golden Age, sailing among the planets with his parents on the Moon Clipper, a galactic ship. When the dark and evil Pitch, King of Nightmares, attempts to capture him, a blinding flash of light obliterates Pitch as well as MiM's parents. Now orphaned, the boy is stranded on his ship-turned-moon and is raised under the care of Moonbots, Moonmice, and Lunar Moths. Over time, he becomes aware of other children living on planet Earth and, upon reaching adulthood, assembles a variety of guardians (e.g., Santa Claus, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy) who vow to "watch over the children of Earth [and] guide them safely from the ways of harm." The resolution of this intricately plotted story begs for more; not only are additional books forthcoming, but also an animated film based on the series is slated for a 2012 release. Indeed, Joyce's full-color, multimedia artwork creates an out-of-this-world, cinematic setting and cast of characters, brimming with eerie and hilarious detail and a masterful juxtaposition of light and dark. Finely wrought motifs, inspired by classical architecture and old-fashioned measuring tools, embellish spot drawings, set off text, and underscore the tale's nostalgic tone. A natural bedtime story to share one-on-one, this book will also captivate independent readers who may have only just outgrown tales about the Sandman and other "Guardians of Childhood."-Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Joyce introduces a new picture-book series, the Guardians of Childhood, with this fantastical legend of MiM, the Man in the Moon. MiM's story begins in the Golden Age, when he is a baby, inhabiting the heavens with Moonmice and Glowworms and attended by his trusted protector, Nightlight. When wicked Pitch, the King of Nightmares, sets his sights on the innocent babe, MiM's parents send the child to a faraway galaxy with a little blue and green planet called Earth. There, MiM grows up to become patriarch to the other Guardians (E. Bunny, Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy, et al). Joyce's trademark romantic imagination is abundantly clear here. The long text requires patience, but both the words and pictures have a cinematic polish, adorned with poetic curlicues. Depictions of MiM and his crew, painted with glossy clarity, contrast nicely with the sketchy sepia of Pitch and his battlements. Families will welcome this original fable and look forward to successive outings with the Guardians of Childhood.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2010 Booklist |
Horn Book Review
| An arduously constructed creation story for Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, etc., posits that the Man in the Moon (whose own biography takes up most of this volume) enlisted them to make life better for Earth's children. The neo-retro art is as extravagant as the text is belabored, but its sentimental lushness will appeal to Joyce's many fans. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Kirkus Review
| A visual feast cannot compensate for lackluster plotting in this first installment of a new mega-series that involves picture books, chapter books and (of course) a movie.There are guardians of children everywhere that strive to keep kids safe from harm. Of these, the first was MiM, The Man in the Moon. Born to a loving family with a guardian named Nightlight to keep him safe from bad dreams, MiM's untainted sleep attracts the unwanted attention of Pitch, the King of Nightmares. When MiM's family and brave Nightlight perish in an attack, MiM lives out the rest of the days inside his family's ship (our own moon). Once grown, he determines to protect the children of nearby Earth and calls upon folks like Santa Claus, Mother Goose and the Tooth Fairy to join him in this goal. Joyce's prowess as an illustrator is undeniable, and this may well be his most ambitious, marvelous-looking title to date. Only a sure and meticulous hand could conjure up such luscious lunar moths and battling constellations. Sadly, the storytelling cannot live up to the visual presentation. Feeling more like an introductory tale than a full-blooded story in its own right, the old-fashionedfeeling narrative fails to find a plot.Here's hoping that future installments in this ambitious series will spend less time on back story and more on story line. (Picture book. 5-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission. |
