Snow Moon
Kindergarten-Grade 2–In spare poetic text, a boy describes being awakened by an owl perched on his window ledge. He follows the creature through the nighttime terrain to a place where owls swarm like snowflakes but human life seems very far away. The artwork is done in shades of blue and white; the creative use of perspective and luminous expanses is electrifying. Details such as feathers floating in the child's bedroom raise intriguing questions and possibilities, as does the final picture, which shows a snow globe containing a scene of the boy with his arms lifted toward the moon, bringing the story out of the realm of day-to-day reality. The wild beauty that permeates the images is underscored by the fact that readers never see the youngster's face, only that of the owl. Brunelle is in every sense a gifted artist. His words are quiet, never contrived, at once haunting and comforting. The same can be said of the illustrations. This tale is perfect for bedtime, wintertime, or anytime.–Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.