E.B. Goodale (Good Night, Little Bookstore) continues the world of Robin and the Stick in the charming, unpretentious picture book Robin and the Moon, in which a child worries that the full moon has gotten "stuck" in a tree.
During an evening walk with Mama, Robin frames their hands so they appear to be "holding the moon." Robin releases the moon "with a skip and a toss" and bounds over to Mama. At bedtime Robin notices that the moon is "tangled up in the branches of a tree." Despite Mama's reassurances, the child is concerned. Robin falls asleep and, in their dream, they float "up, up, up" to the tree. But as Robin reaches the top of the branches, the moon gets "bigger and bigger." The moon lifts both child and tree into the sky until "POP!"--it deflates like a balloon. Robin falls gently into bed, where they wake to see an unobstructed view of the moon. Cozily, contentedly, the child drifts back to sleep.
Goodale highlights the child's imaginative perspective by making Robin's cerulean, hooded footie pajamas the only splash of color in the book. She uses scale to blur the line between reality and fantasy; the tiny moon appears distant through Robin's bedroom window but dwarfs Robin up close. The clean, uncluttered visual field and simple text create a comforting tone that encourages expansive thinking. Robin and the Moon is an ideal bedtime story: a quiet nighttime adventure that offers just enough excitement, with a soothing ending perfect for tired eyes. --Kieran Slattery, freelance reviewer, teacher