I'LL CATCH THE MOON

A girl's wish to build a ladder from her New York City apartment to the moon is vividly brought to life through ingenious photo-collages. Surprisingly, the photos heighten the fantasy element by grounding the story in the realistic world, a nocturnal cityscape of ``Honk, blink, stop, go.'' The pictures become more fanciful as the girl rises above her environment, the stars shining brighter than any Manhattanite is likely to witness. Occasionally, the outlines of the cutout shapes remind readers of the collage effect, temporarily dismantling the illusion that the girl is stepping through clouds. At the same time, the ``crafted'' nature of the illustrations may encourage readers' own artistic impulses to build ladders to the moon. In style and setting, this book is virtually a repeat of Crews's One Hot Summer Day (1995), but its star-drenched, dreamlike mood gives it a totally different emotional content. (Picture book. 4+)