A Kite for Moon

PreS-Gr 1--The allure of the moon has been a favorite theme for picture book authors from Margaret Wise Brown and Eric Carle to Frank Asch and Mordicai Gerstein. Yolen has explored it previously in Owl Moon. Here, writing with her daughter, she imagines the trajectory of astronaut Neil Armstrong's lifelong interest. Flying a kite at the beach in the early morning light, a tousle-haired boy becomes aware of the moon's loneliness: "The stars were all abed./No one below was singing to her./No one was sending up rockets/or writing poems about her." He knows how good a hug feels, but the moon is too far, so he sends a note via kite--the first of many. Readers watch the boy grow, gazing through telescopes and learning to drive, to fly, and, finally, to undertake a rocket voyage. At his lunar destination, an outstretched hand signals the fulfillment of his early wish. The text is spare but full of warmth and lyricism. Phelan's lively, flowing inked outlines convey both the steadfast connection between boy and orb and the movement born of passion. The paintings contain subtle and pleasing parallels, e.g., the rocket's orange and yellow exhaust mimics the flame-colored tail of Armstrong's childhood kite; the conclusion echoes the opening while extending the message. Panels effectively collapse time at key moments. VERDICT Smooth pacing and narrative clarity combine with an evocative presentation to make this a first choice to celebrate the 50th anniversary of America's moon landing.--Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

In a wistful story that honors Neil Armstrong, the moon is feeling lonely: "No one below was singing to her. No one was sending up rockets or writing poems about her." But below, a boy at the seashore sees the moon and senses its unhappiness: "So he wrote on his kite, promising to come some day for a visit." Phelan illustrates in loose, curling forms that conjure a sense of movement. In sequential panels, the boy is seen peering through a small microscope, receiving a telescope as a teenager, and, as a young adult, gazing through the window at the moon. After learning to ride a bike and drive a car, the boy learns to "fly a plane and a rocket. Then one day, when he had learned enough, he went up, up, up in a big rocket ship with a fiery tail." At last he lands on the moon, touching his hand to its surface: " 'Hello, Moon, ' he said. 'I've come for that visit.' " Yolen and Stemple remind readers of the simple awe of a most wonderful journey. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)