Moon Pops

PreS-Gr 2–On an oppressively hot summer night, the moon began to melt. Granny sees the drops falling and runs out to catch the melting moon in a bucket. She has an idea to mix the moon drops into sweet frozen treats, but sets a few drops aside. Since everyone in Granny’s apartment building has run their fans and air conditioners on high and opened refrigerator doors to cool, the power fails, and the only light comes from Granny’s apartment. The pajama-clad animals who are her neighbors come to her door and are treated to frozen Moon Pops, which cool and delight them; the heat dissipates, and all are able to sleep. Granny’s rest is interrupted by two strange rabbits who come looking for their home, the moon. Once more Granny finds the solution, using the reserved drops to grow the moon back. Baek’s modern treatment of the familiar folktale about rabbits on the moon is illustrated with intricate mixed-media shadow boxes, and her use of actual objects and mixed collage lends a realism and depth to the apartments where the neighbors live; the moon and its products fairly glow on black pages and against the creatures’ faces.