City Moon

Cole tells of one family's autumnal evening ritual: "After dinner, after tooth-brushing time, we put on pajamas, then coats and shoes...We are going on a walk to look for the moon." A mother and child leave their city apartment building and walk down the block, past a park, a fruit and vegetable stand, a dance studio, and more. The sharp-eyed child catches glimpses of the moon peeking out from between buildings, reflected in puddles, and in its full, bright glory. "Mama, why doesn't everyone look?" asks the child, in awe of the moon's majesty and with eyes raised to the sky. "They're busy," is Mama's response, and viewers can see how so in Gómez's luminous illustrations showing snapshots of life throughout the city. Here's a person practicing an instrument; someone is writing a letter; dogs are being walked. The pictures offer a balance of simple shapes, intriguing eye-catching details, and judicious patterns. The palette is mainly dark, the sky somewhat mysterious, but the warm glow thrown off by street lamps, lights from windows, and the moon itself brings comfort and reassurance--even as the child, back home in bed, drifts off to sleep. Pair with the similarly themed Windows, reviewed in this issue. elissa gershowitz