Luna luminosa, ¿dónde estás?/Luminous Moon, Where Are You?

PreS-K–On a moonless night, Juanito wonders where the moon is. The brown-skinned young boy’s curiosity inspires him to embark on a quest to find the moon, asking several animals whether they have seen it. In turn, a coyote, a cicada, an owl, a frog, and a firefly each provide a unique answer, until one day the moon appears. A preschool teacher and composer of children’s music, De Alvarado offers this sweet bilingual picture book using simple two- to three-line text per page. The rhyming Spanish text is accompanied by an English translation that faithfully expresses the meaning of its counterpart. The symmetrical setting of the narrative and illustrations invariably positions the text on the verso and the art on the recto. In addition, the query “where is the moon?” works as a unifying element throughout. The illustrations are done in shades of blue and purple, contrasting with the glimmering, light-colored stars. This art enhances the narrative, highlighting the facial expressions of the animals and the boy, while accentuating the beautiful night setting. The book contains a song, but unfortunately, it lacks the score for people who are not familiar with this tune.