Moonlight: The Halloween Cat

by Cynthia Rylant, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

Overview

"Told in rhythmic prose that almost purrs when read aloud this black cat's story enchants with a perfect blend of art and text."

School Library Journal

"A soothing ghoul-free‚ utterly non creepy Halloween book."

Booklist

Ages: 2 - 5

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064438148
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/28/2009
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery medalist and the author of many acclaimed books for young people. She's well known for her popular characters for early readers, including Mr. Putter & Tabby and Henry & Mudge. She lives in the Pacific Northwest. cynthiarylant.com

Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than one hundred books, including Kwame Alexander’s How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem, and has written and illustrated her own work. Her work has been featured in magazines, on greeting cards, and on living room walls. Melissa has received the Caldecott Honor Medal twice, among many other awards, including the Sibert Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author and artist. Melissa lives in Maine. You can visit her at melissasweet.net.

Editorial Reviews

Bouncing Time, by Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Melissa Sweet “A slice of pure pleasure.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

A gorgeous paean to night, cats, the moon and Halloween.—Elizabeth Ward

The Washington Post

In a gentle holiday outing, Moonlight, a black cat with a pink nose and friendly green eyes, prowls under a starlit Halloween sky. She gazes at glowing jack-o'-lanterns ("Pumpkins smile at her") and, in casual feline style, curls up on a seated scarecrow ("Straw laps welcome her"). Rylant's (Cat Heaven) quiet sentences convey Moonlight's contentment, as do the lazy rolling hillsides and shady pine-green lawns in Sweet's (Bouncing Time) paintings. Mellow Moonlight, who never hisses or puffs her fur, happily crouches in a tree as owls fly by and unhurriedly saunters through a silent graveyard: "It is her favorite night of all." Ages 2-5. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-Told in rhythmic prose that almost purrs when read aloud, this black cat's story enchants with a perfect blend of art and text. On the opening spread, Moonlight waits patiently for readers to catch up with her in a pumpkin patch of vibrant orange. Then, she walks across rolling meadows, along fences, and past hay fields. "Moonlight walks the night. She sees lights going off in the houses. Now only pumpkins will shine." The feline snuggles affectionately on the lap of a man made of straw and watches many splendors of the night, including trick-or-treating children and reflections of stars on a pond. Sweet's acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations bring the feline and the pumpkins to life. Luminously serene blues and greens predominate and harmonize with the cozy, comforting moods and emotions the text evokes. Especially enchanting is the close-up illustration of Moonlight's back as she sits placidly on a tree branch, facing a huge, yellow moon. The varying perspectives throughout the book are bound to keep even the youngest children intrigued.-James K. Irwin, Poplar Creek Main Library, Steamwood, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Moonlight's a night-loving, night-prowling cat, but Halloween night's her special favorite. She revels in the smiling pumpkins, "straw laps" of neighborhood scarecrows, and costumed children that make Halloween so unique. A carelessly dropped piece of candy doesn't hurt either, and under Halloween moonlight, Moonlight the cat joyously laps it up. Yet another, though not especially memorable, addition to the Halloween canon, Rylant's very simple text makes a good holiday read-aloud for the very young. Sweet's illustrations, mostly double-paged in acrylic and colored-pencil are rich and bold and have loads of child appeal. Surely some will take this as an example of looking differently at the deep darkness of night and all its splendors. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews