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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Bayport Public Library | EASY KIM | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | EASY KIM | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Rabbit Moon weaves together a tale of wishes, play, loneliness, and friendship -- beautifully illustrated in a style that evokes Kevin Henkes, Jon Muth, Shaun Tan, and Renata Liwska.Bedtime wishes take flight on paper airplanes, traveling all the way to the moon. There Rabbit gathers the night's haul, grinds the wishes into stardust, and fills the sky with their starlight. It is a beautiful sight to behold, but lonely work. So one night, Rabbit takes a wish and makes it float down to earth; when it comes true, he makes new friends and the star work takes a back seat to some well-earned fun. But as each day fades, so do the night stars. And with the first starless sky, Rabbit realizes it's time to make the journey home. It is a sad departure, but Rabbit's friends make one last wish, and send an astronomical gift.
Author Notes
Born and raised in Korea, Jean Kim lives in San Francisco. She received her MFA in children's book illustration from the Academy of Art University. She is a member of SCBWI and was a recipient of the 2015 Portfolio Showcase Honor. Visit her online at www.jeankim.me.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-A rabbit who lives on the moon turns bedtime wishes into stars. One day he decides to take a star and grant a wish of his own. He sails down to Earth and has the opportunity to have fun with some newfound friends. This whimsical story has a rhyming structure that makes it a wonderful read-aloud. The plot is inspired by Korean folklore and includes many fantastical elements that can be attributed to traditional folk narrative. The text is written in a gold font which gives it an illuminated look reminiscent of stars in the night sky. Fragmented sentences will keep readers engaged and curious about what happens next. Paneled illustrations convey sequential happenings and movement in the story and provide interesting details that are not conveyed in the text. Playful rounded animal characters pop against the dark night sky. VERDICT A calming and refreshing bedtime selection that explores themes of friendship, imagination, and exploration.-Deanna Smith, formerly at Mamaroneck Public Library, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Kim's debut as both author and artist opens on a night lit by the full moon. In soft, powdery spreads and panels, she draws a peaceful town inhabited by childlike animals. Koreans don't see a man in the moon, an opening author's note explains, but a rabbit pounding rice into cakes, and it's the custom to wish on it when it's full: "What is it we wish tonight?/ Across the sky... A journey far.../ Till Rabbit turns them into stars." A raccoon writes its wish on paper and folds it into an airplane. Other creatures do the same, and their wish-airplanes glow as they soar moonward, where they land in Rabbit's mortar and he pounds them into stars that set his furry face aglow. Rabbit makes a wish, too: he dons a space helmet and heads to Earth, where he shares in the pleasures of the animals' lives-cycling, going to the library, rowing-before returning to the moon. Kim's dreamy words and pictures seem simple, but they're subtly paced and polished; her world, with its friendly glow and reassuring companionship, is one children will want to return to. Ages 3-5. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
While moon gazing is surely a universal experience, not everyone sees the same thing. As Kim explains in a note, her narrative is inspired by the Korean custom of searching the surface of a full moon for the silhouette of a rabbit using a mortar and pestle to make rice cakes. The story opens in a bedroom, where a raccoon is writing a message, folding the paper into an airplane, and sending it skyward. The view pans to other animals sending their wishes as well. The missives collect in the heavenly mortar, and as Rabbit stirs, the paper transforms into stars until "Wishes fill the sky with light / twinkling in the starry night." Kim's scenes are drawn in pencil and then digitally colored, and they have a softness around the edges, establishing a cozy mood that is sustained by the gentle rhymes. Dark backgrounds provide a foil for the starlight, and panels transition to luminous full bleeds, enhancing the magical effect. Kim diverges from tradition by showing that Rabbit has wishes too. In a buoyant, breezy sequence, the creature inflates a star, attaches a string, and floats to Earth to play with the animals. They ride bicycles, drift along in boats, and enjoy readings in the forest. When the lunar cycle is complete and the sky is dark, Rabbit must return home. Once there, however, an airborne delivery enables the long-distance friends to see one another and stay connected.Lilting lines combine with endearing characters in an effervescent examination of fulfilled desires and kindness reciprocated. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Influenced by Korean folklore of the rabbit in the moon, Kim has fashioned a tale of adventure for the solo bunny. Told in rhyming couplets, animals write paper wishes that fly up into the sky. Rabbit collects each wish and turns every one into a star. One especially lonely night, he decides to fulfill a wish of his own and visit Earth. Spending time with new friends is wonderful until everyone begins to notice that the stars are disappearing one by one and the normally luminous sky is darkening. Rabbit takes his responsibilities seriously and realizes what he must do. Another wish comes true for him after he receives a delightful surprise. Large type and simple, short sentences make this title an accessible beginning reader. Pencil illustrations, colored using Adobe Photoshop, create soft, rounded, and appealing characters that will be enjoyed by very young children. For a complementary and entertaining title that also introduces the celestial spheres, suggest Mary Lyn Ray's Stars (2011).--Owen, Maryann Copyright 2017 Booklist
