ONE GIANT LEAP

A walk on the moon has never been this fun.

An unnamed, tan-skinned child bundles up in a jacket, checkered gloves, and a hat and takes an elevator to the surface of the moon. A wordless journey begins as the protagonist sets foot on the dusty exterior, jumps over moon rocks with gravity-less abandon, and plants a purple-checked flag on the very top. After taking a tumble from the summit, the child sees clawed footprints in the dust and eventually comes across large paisley-printed birdlike creatures and brightly colored space monsters. Our hero attempts to communicate with these creatures but flees after one waves its arms menacingly. The child bounds for safety from both the monsters and the extreme elements. The expedition ends when the child flings a door open to see other young people putting their coats away as a snowy school day is about to start. The final spread shows the inclemently weathered path taken by our intrepid explorer from an apartment building across the way to the schoolhouse. Eagle-eyed readers will notice the patterns of the classmates’ coats matching those of the creatures encountered on the moonwalk as well as the rough terrain mimicking the school playground. The collage illustrations, in a palette dominated by deep blacks and oranges, capture the spirited imagination of a young person at play.

An out-of-this-world good time.