WAKE UP, MOON!

A little squirrel awakens its woodland friends for an exhilarating night of wintry playtime.

“The storm is over. The stars are out. But one little squirrel is not in bed.” Colored pencil and watercolor illustrations depict a warm, snug home for the red squirrel, who gazes out from the tree knot that serves as a window to a starry night. Having donned a red ski cap, the squirrel excitedly slides down a snowy slope to awaken its friends: “Wake up, snow!” The phrase “wake up” recurs as a fox, an owl, and a bear are roused. A tense moment with the bear soon turns to merriment when the friends remember that “bears just roar when they’re having fun.” The tender, lyrical text deftly employs rhythm and rhyme. Always simple linguistically but sometimes profound in content, it extends the wake-up call to the natural landscape and to concepts that include “shy glances” and “taking chances” and, of course, friendship. In appearance and behavior, the animals have the charm of Beatrix Potter’s anthropomorphic characters: Well-executed natural details combine seamlessly with human attributes in rich, harmonious natural settings. Full-bleed art shows animals gliding, sliding, creating snow bears, and finally curling up with cocoa and bedding down to sleep—each page in this gently humorous tale would make a superb winter holiday card.

That rare gem—a gorgeously crafted tale for the youngest readers that radiates beauty, warmth, and wit.