‘Mr. Moon,’ written and illustrated by Michael Paraskevas, is a soothing read about what the moon does while out at night. The way the story says goodbye to the sun in the beginning and welcomes it back at the end serves as nice bookends to a sweet story. The illustrations will heighten children’s appreciation of the tale, from the moon wearing a nightcap, to the stars, sheep, clouds, insects, animals, and sounds that populate the night. Even though it is dark out and silence would seemingly abound, there is much to be done under the light of the moon. The fact that the moon has a face makes it even nicer that it is enjoying the work it must do to turn night into day. As the sun resumes its place high above the ground, the moon yawns and rests until its work begins once more, which creates a nice potential discussion of how teamwork really does make the world go round.

The colors and attention to detail on each two-page spread will engage and enlighten young readers, as well as their parents. Night changing to day and day to night are ideas that are taken for granted, but Paraskevas highlights how there is much to be done to make the transition smooth, and the average person might just see magic happen if they stay up to wish on a shooting star or try to see if the cow will really jump over the moon. ‘Mr. Moon’ is a whimsical read that dares readers to consider what is actually happening in the moonlight and how to take part in it until daylight once again sets in.

Even though the story is solid and incorporates unique ideas, it didn’t hold the interest of my three-year-old quite as much as some other books; however, he did enjoy pointing at each picture and stating what it was. The illustrations made up for where the story was slightly lacking.

*Review originally posted on YABooksCentral.com*

You can find ‘Mr. Moon’ by Michael Paraskevas here.