Moonday

PreS-Gr 2—In this luminous fantasy, the moon follows a young girl home and takes up residence in her backyard, throwing the world into a sleepy dream-state. Narrator Susie Berneis has a pleasant voice and cadence, adding depth and emotion without overdramatizing the film. The illustrations from the book (Hyperion, 2013) are presented with variety, shown at different sizes with individual spreads broken up and shown sequentially, or with figures disappearing and reappearing to indicate movement. The depictions generally "float" on a black background, which is well suited to the nighttime setting and draws the viewer's eye to the jewel-toned art. The minimal animation strikes a nice balance between the book's static images and the type of action-packed viewing experience children normally see. The DVD offers two viewing options, both a straight narration of the story and a read-along option where the words are highlighted at the bottom of the screen as they are spoken. Overall, this is a well-done film that respects the source material and still provides additional value to the experience of the book.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN