La Luna

PreS-Gr 1—This captivating coming-of-age story first appeared as a short film with the same name. A boy sets out to sea with his papa and grandpa in a boat called La Luna. He is accompanying his elders to work for the first time. Far from shore, they take up the oars and wait. The father lifts a ladder to the sky and tells his son to climb it. The child lands on the lunar surface, which is covered with fallen stars, "like pebbles on a beach." Papa and Grandpa are responsible for tidying it up, and, as they both demonstrate what they believe to be the proper way to perform the job, a giant star lodges itself in a crater. The men argue about how to remove it, but the boy comes up with a solution. He is praised, and the three head home, pausing "to take one last look at the moon." The animated cartoon illustrations painted in muted blues and greens are illuminated by the golden glow of the heavens. The distinctive personalities of the characters are evident in their expressive features. Both the artwork and the text highlight the importance of family bonds and the value of tradition. Pair this picture book with another father-son story such as Satomi Ichikawa's My Father's Shop (Kane/Miller, 2006) or Patricia Thomas's Red Sled (Boyds Mills, 2008).—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA