IF I WERE THE MOON

A lullaby about watching out for the ones you love.

An anthropomorphic full moon shines down on a White blond child in purple boots and a blue dress as they have adventures with their animal friends: a rabbit, a goose, and a little elephant. Their bicycle doesn’t need a headlight with the moon’s light, and they can see fine to row a boat out on the sea. (Though they sport helmets on the bike, there are no life jackets in sight.) The moon lets down a swing, and they ride it up to the pillowy clouds atop the moon. The final fantastical scene—“If I were the moon. / I’d fly you home / on outstretched wings”—shows the four friends riding atop a huge barn owl as it swoops them back home again. The last spread shows the reality: the child snuggled in bed with three stuffed animals, an owl taking off from a branch outside the bedroom window. While parents-to-be and those with very young children may feel comforted by the message in the song-turned–picture book, their children are not likely to get the message at all, especially since it is never clear who the I is referring to. They will be more drawn by the softly colored illustrations that seem lit from within by both the moon and the fireflies festooned throughout the pages. The joy on the characters’ faces is evident and infectious, though some of the verses are hard to read against the background. A website link allows readers to hear Terry’s song. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A mediocre jump from song to picture book.