Moony Luna / Luna, Lunita Lunera - Hardcover

PreS-Gr. 1. This bilingual picture book presents with charming simplicity the fears five-year-old Luna experiences as she faces her first day of school. The little girl gives shape to her anxiety by visualizing it as the monster from a book her mother read to her the night before. The Spanish text, which was written first, has a pleasing poetic structure and a comforting rhythm that will reassure young listeners that Luna's fears will dissipate, even as she goes through the day, monster by her side. The English, on the other hand, is competent, but fails to replicate the soothing rhythm of the Spanish rendition. No matter the language, however, little ones will relish the final scene, in which Luna finally gains the confidence to banish her unwanted companion. The illustrations, well matched to the story, have the flat perspective and the vibrant colors of contemporary Latin American art, and Luna's little monster, in crayon-box colors rather than paint, gives the story a touch of magic realism. Although the family is Latino, the story's appeal is universal. There's one inconsistency: the Spanish text appears above the English inside the book, but not on the book jacket. Stella Clark
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Kindergarten-Grade 1–Poor Luna! Tomorrow is the first day of kindergarten and she is nervous. Her parents are reassuring, and her mom reads her a story about a little monster who goes off to school and has a fine time. Bad idea. Luna fastens onto the idea of monsters at school and becomes even more concerned. Meeting the teacher is fine, but when her mother leaves, the child takes refuge under a table. Her classmates come to the rescue, and by the end of the day, Luna is a kindergarten veteran. The acrylic illustrations are charmingly primitive, with lots of zingy action and a kindergarten monster crayoned in. It mimics Luna's feelings, enhancing the poetic texts. A suitable companion to Nancy Carlson's Look Out, Kindergarten, Here I Come!/Preparante, kindergarten, alla voy! (Penguin, 1999), this will help allay those first-day fears.
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