FICTION

By the Light of the Moon

by Frann Preston-Gannon (text) & illus. by Frann Preston-Gannon
Templar/Candlewick/. Sept. 2019. 40p. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781536208108.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1–Sitting alone on a lily pad one moonlit evening, a little frog finds himself wishing for company in his nighttime song. The frog meets other swamp animals and asks them to sing along with his tune. After a friendly crocodile, mice, fish, and birds join in, he encounters a quiet firefly who believes that her voice is not strong enough to join in—until the little frog encourages her, “Your song is unique/and important, like all of the rest./Even small voices count, so let’s hear yours—/only you can sing your song best.” In a cumulative rhyme, the narrative continues alongside enchanting, dreamlike single- and double-page images that are bathed in moonlight blues. By the end of the story, “everyone knew that the song of the swamp/needed everyone’s voice to sound best.”
VERDICT An excellent choice for a swamp animal–themed storytime. Recommended for purchase.
Reviewed by Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ , Aug 30, 2019

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