DEAR MOON

The moon moves through the night sky, and another day inevitably arrives.

Max and Ely need to stop that from happening so Ely won’t have to leave. They build a rocket that will lasso the moon and hold it in place. The scheme doesn’t work, but Max refuses to give up. His anger at the moon intensifies with each setback. But morning arrives anyway, and Ely must go to the hospital. Max promises never to give up “not ’til the end of the end of the very end of the world.” Finally he begs Moon to watch over the friend he misses so much. When Ely comes home, he and Max build a new and better rocket, and they take off for the moon. But only Ely stays. Max returns sadly to Earth and tearfully sends a message telling Moon he’ll always be watching. Max’s sadness and confusion are treated with gentle compassion. Wunderli withholds a great deal, only gradually hinting at the seriousness of Ely’s illness, which is not named, and the word death is never used. Di Gravio’s illustrations provide more information. Max has brown skin, and Ely presents White. Ely is seen in a wheelchair from the beginning. He is hairless when he comes home, and he appears weak and tired. Young children are literal, and this presentation of death and loss may be too subtle for many. The work definitely calls for young readers to have an adult at their side for reassurance and explanations as they read together.

Tender, loving, and sad.