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Moonday | January 15, 2014

by Adam Rex (Disney-Hyperion, September 2013)

Most notable for his New York Times bestselling Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and, more recently, for his collaboration with Neil Gaiman on Chu’s Day, Adam Rex has been one of my favorite children’s book creators since I picked up his novel The True Meaning of Smekday in college. Like those books, and nearly every other book Adam has worked on, Moonday is filled with whimsy and humor. Unlike the others, however, this picture book is a quieter, gentler tale; A beautiful lullaby for little ones.

Moonday is a surreal story about the moon showing up one day in a little girl’s backyard—and then staying put. At first, the girl has fun with her surprise visitor, running around and playing on its luminescent surface. But she soon discovers the downside of its unusual presence in her town. Without the moon where it belongs, there is no more morning, everyone walks around in a daze, the tide rises (in her backyard!), and dogs even show up at her home to howl. Fortunately, the solution is simple enough (but I don’t want to give it away), and it also happens to be the perfect end to this magical realistic book.

Gracefully written, illustrated, and designed, Moonday sparks the imagination and will be a delight to share with anyone—young and old—still filled with wonder when they look up at our neighbor in the night sky.

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