ELIZA AND THE MOONCHILD

A fanciful tale about color and friendship. The Moonchild complains to his mother that he wants colors instead of the “bright white” of the moon. So he zips down to Earth, which he sees through his telescope, and finds Eliza. But it’s dark, and there are no colors. As the sun comes up, the Moonchild sees the sun, and flowers, and butterflies, and trees. Each color delights him, and Eliza paints them all into a picture for him. “Do you like that?” Eliza asks at each step; “I love that!” he responds, in a sweet refrain. Finally the Moonchild must go home, taking the picture and the paint box Eliza gives him so he can have color on the moon. The palette modulates from the pale moonscape to the shadowed night garden to brilliant purples and reds and greens. The narrative is significantly longer than most color concept books, but the blooming friendship between Eliza and the Moonchild and his delighted wonder lend sufficient substance to carry readers along. (Picture book. 4-7)