MOON BEAR

A special friend helps a child overcome fear.

Afraid of the dark, Ettie keeps a flashlight under the covers at bedtime. But tonight brings a surprise. A cascade of sparkling light motes enter the room through the partially opened curtains. Ettie “paints” on the wall with the dazzling light, then dances with it, producing wondrous arcs around the room. Opening the curtains completely, Ettie smiles at the moon, then plays connect the dots with the glowing stars, creating a bear who enters the room in an illuminated burst. The pair play all night. By morning, the bear’s disappeared; Ettie can’t explain its presence to Mommy—though sparkles remain on the pillow. But Ettie has a different, more potent reminder of the bear’s presence: a newfound confidence when it comes to the dark. That evening, the child hurriedly eats dinner, reminds Mommy when it’s bedtime, speeds through the nightly bedtime routine, and even nudges Mommy out the door. A bear’s coming! Grown-ups, take heed. This very charming, nearly wordless fantasy reassures kids that fears of the dark can be conquered with some imagination and a smidgen of light. The gouache and colored pencil illustrations are cheerily de-light-ful, presented in lively panels of different sizes, comics-style. Ettie and Mommy are light-skinned.

This is one bear all kids will want to cuddle up with when it’s time for lights out.