CATCHING THE MOON

Can a wily old woman outsmart the Man in the Moon? When a Fisherwoman starts fishing every moon-bright night with a mouse for bait, the only one who worries is the Man in the Moon. One moonless night, she brews tea in her shack when a round-faced stranger appears with a sea-cucumber sandwich. To her surprise, the Fisherwoman invites him in. As they sip green tea, the stranger notes how the high tide soaks the floor and crashes through the door. The Fisherwoman keeps fishing by moonlight, and on the next moonless night, the stranger returns with a moon pie. As they sip black tea, the Fisherwoman confesses she is angling to hook the Man in the Moon with her mouse bait to force him to keep the troublesome tides away. Eventually, the clever Fisherwoman and the moon-faced stranger solve the problem of the tides so they can drink their tea by a calm sea. In her children’s debut, Goldberg’s lunar language and Sheban’s stunningly luminous illustrations turn this contemporary tall tale into a shining winner. (Picture book. 4-8)