By the Light of the Moon
Reviewed By Grasshopper2 November 24, 2016
Author Tom Percival, illustrated by Tom Percival
Distributor: Bloomsbury/Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781408852095
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: November 2016
Website: http:/www.bloomsbury.com
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Moving house is a traumatic time, and for young Ivan, it was strange and unfriendly. His first night in his new house proves quite a challenge, as nothing is as it was. Even the moon looks different. With a gentle fantasy story, Ivan understands that in time he will feel at home here, and he will adjust. I love the end pages which will fascinate children. They show the different phases of the moon, and the correct terminology for each phase.
Ivan is alone and sad in his bedroom. Nothing looks the same. He goes to the window to check out the moon and sees a light flying down from the sky. Ivan runs outside to see what the light is. He discovers a friendly being, whom shows him many marvelous things.
They play together for some time, but eventually his friend says that it’s time to go home. Sadly Ivan reflects that this is not like his other home. His friend shows him some visions in the future, and Ivan understands that in time there will be many happy occasions, and he will grow to be attached to this house.
The author has such a gentle way of telling a story that it would appeal to a child who is facing a new problem. There are small bodies of text spread out on the pages to encourage independent reading. The text size varies, getting larger for more emphasis to be used.
The illustrations are appropriately coloured, sometimes the pages contain a lot of black as Ivan goes outside into the night, however, when his friend begins to paint everything with moonlight, the colours change and vary. The front cover is decorated with a drawing of the moon, and sprinkles of silver, which is visually very appealing.
Again, it is the end pages that invite a close examination. They show the phases of the moon, the first page being black with blue shaped moons, and the opposite page being blue with black shaped moons in their varying stages.
The story is gentle and calm, while the focus is on the moon and how it oversees our lives.