THE DOOR TO THE MOON

A boy and his dog embark on a space adventure in this debut picture book.

Taye, a pale-skinned, dark-haired youngster, wakes to a boom and a bright light: “Taye would normally go back to sleep, but this was not an ordinary night.” He sets off with his dog to find out what amazing thing has happened. In the field near his house is now a door that opens to a stairway to the moon. There, Taye meets aliens and astronauts, having fun until he’s sleepy enough to return to bed and dream about the places he’s been. Youngsters may wonder whether Taye has been dreaming the whole time, as the ending illustration with its bright moon echoes the opening image of the boy and his pooch in a bedroom flooded with light. The soft-edged pictures by debut illustrator Senarak enrich the whimsical fantasy. They show details absent from Santigul’s straightforward tale, such as Taye’s exploration preparations. The brush-stroke style offers grounding before the more fantastic, off-planet escapades begin. Clever design elements also enhance the storytelling. On the moon, the text goes around the sides of the pages. When the house is shown, with a wall absent, heading to a horizon point, the text angles the same way along Taye’s path.

This simple, fanciful narrative will delight youngsters who already dream of the moon.