Children’s Book Review: Winter Moon Song
They sing the Winter Moon Song to “lighten the darkest month of the year with a trail of magic.” They sing it in the gathering place, with its “majestic windows and the fingering trees beyond.” They sing it every year, but when the youngish rabbit takes his turn, replacing older rabbits according to tradition, he doesn’t feel the magic at all. It’s only when he’s moved to sing outside under the moon with the snow falling like stars all around him that he creates a new tradition – one that leaves all rabbits feeling the wonderment of belonging to the great rabbit family.
Winter Moon Song is a debut picture book from award-winning novelist, Martha Brooks. Her choice of timeless, lyrical language calls to mind the folktale tradition upon which this story is based, and she includes an author’s note to explain her story’s origins. Brooks works alongside Spanish illustrator, Leticia Ruifernández, whose snowy blue-brown watercolour landscape of trees, hills, and a moon-like burrow is sure to capture kids’ sense of wonder.
While gentle and lulling, this story does have some perplexing elements that may elude the youngest of readers: an important question goes unnamed, and the distinction between singing the Winter Moon Song indoors and outdoors will likely need clarification. Still, it is a fantastic starting point from which to explore other Moon Rabbit tales from Buddhist, Cree, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Aztec traditions, and to celebrate the importance of all voices – young and old – in our natural world.
Jen Bailey teaches in the Professional Writing Program at Algonquin College, Ottawa. She holds an MFA in Writing from VCFA, and writes for children and young adults.
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