Bella Noche! Hello, Moon by Julie Downing

GOODBYE, SUN.

The shadows grow long. Sleepy butterflies cling to the underside of leaves. Song birds flit to their nests.

DAY IS DONE.

The animals sense the change, Squirrels seek their dens. Snails creep under fallen leaves. The dog dashes for the open farmhouse door to sleep inside.

But the night animals are ready to go on duty.

MOONLIGHT CALLS. COME OUTSIDE.

Foxes pounce for a burrowing mouse. Owls fly on silent wings. Raccoons chitter when they find fruit with savory seeds. Bugs chomp on juicy leaves, while mice scurry at the shadow of a cruising owl. Baby foxes scamper to the shelter of their den at the flash of lightning and crash of thunder. It's time for these nocturnal creatures to hurry home and catch a catnap before first light.

HELLO DAY! GOODNIGHT, NIGHT!

And as the now wide-awake dog dashes out the open back door, the day begins again with opening morning glories all around, in Julie Downing's just published Hello, Moon (Holiday House, 2021), a hymn for the night and a song for the new day.

In pages wreathed by maple leaves of many colors--yellow green, bright green, and blue-green for the day and lilac, mauve, and deep green for the night, woodland places with the beautiful shapes of vines, toadstools and clover in all kinds of light, author-illustrator Downing marries her gorgeous colored pencil watercolor and acrylic artwork and the rhythm and rhyme of gentle poetry in a lovely tribute to day and night. As Kirkus Reviews advises, "Whether read as Zen nature walk, bedtime story, or gentle science starter, this story begs to be visited again and again."

The Bare Facts: Those Are Not My Underpants! by Melissa Martin

One morning when Bear Cub comes outside, he notices something unexpected hanging on a limb right out his door. Clearly someone had misplaced a pair of underwear. Bear Cub has simply got to get to the bottom of this!

"HI, SQUIRREL," HE SAYS. "ARE THESE YOUR UNDERPANTS?"

"NO. THERE'S NO HOLE FOR MY TAIL!" SQUEEKS SQUIRREL.

Turtle's no tattletale. He shows off the striped undershorts under his shell. Oh, well. Bear Cub moves on until he meets Owl, who says owls only wear sparkly briefs. Beside a rushing stream, he questions Salmon, who says he only wears sleek swim trunks.

In his cave, Bat, already hanging upside down from the ceiling, shows off his glow-in-the-dark bikini bottoms. Skunk sniffs the scanty panties and ventures that they don't stink enough to be his!

Then Bear Cub spots snake's head sticking out of his hole.

"HI, SNAKE! ARE THESE YOUR UNDERPANTS?

"NO!"

"ARE YOU SURE?"

"YES. SNAKES ONLY WEAR L-O-O-O-N-G UNDERWEAR!"

They are not Beaver's briefs either. He blushes and says that beavers are too shy to show off their underpants. And when questioned, Moose points out that he has to wear Extra Large underwear!

Bear Cub's case is about out of suspects. Back home, Mama Bear spots him with the mysterious tightie whities in hand.

"BEAR CUB! WHY ARE YOU CARRYING YOUR UNDERPANTS AROUND? I WASHED AND HUNG THEM OUT TO DRY LAST NIGHT!"

Looking down, now it's Bear Cub's turn to blush!

The case of the bare bear is solved, in Melissa Martin's newest, Those Are Not My Underpants! For the reading circle bunch, any mention of unmentionables, be they briefs or lingerie, is a sure-fire giggle getter, and with the award-winning artist Troy Cummings' lighthearted illustrations, this story promises a laugh a minute.

Says Booklist, "A solid contribution to that important children’s book category, adorable animals wearing underwear!"

There Goes The Neighborhood! The Belonging Tree by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

LIFE WAS FINE AND DANDY IN THE BIG OAK TREE ON FOREST LANE. SQUIRRELS LIVED UP, SQUIRRELS LIVE DOWN.

AND IN THE MIDDLE LIVED THE GRAY SQUIRREL FAMILY--PA, MA, AND LITTLE ZEKE....>UNTIL SUMMER ARRIVED AND A FAMILY OF BIRDS MOVED IN.

"THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD!" GROUCHED PA.

The jay birds' raucus squawks drove Ma and Pa crazy, but little Zeke liked their weird songs. Pa sound-proofed their hole with moss, ranting that the Jays didn't belong there.

And it only got worse in the fall, when the Chipmunk family moved in downstairs.

"CHIPMUNKS STEAL ACORNS!" HUFFED PA. "THEY HAVE LOTS OF CRYING BABIES!" ADDED MA.

Ma and Pa squirreled away all their acorns up in the attic, and when autumn set in, the Jay Birds flew south and the Chipmunks began to hibernate. At last the Squirrel family had their tree to themselves. Ma and Pa were happy, but to tell the truth, Zeke missed the cute Chipmunk babies, and he was bored.

But then.... spring came and the Jays and the Chipmunks were back-- as noisy as ever. And even worse, the Beavers move in.

"THEY DESTROY EVERYTHING! EVEN OAK TREES!" ROARED PA.

Pa and Ma have had it. They load up and move across the river into an old maple tree with lots of hollows and quite a few squirrels. Mama points out that Zeke can find lots of nice squirrel friends there. That is all well and good, but Zeke misses his oak tree neighbors, so one evening he slips out and goes across the river to visit.

Suddenly a wild storm comes up and blows down the maple tree. Ma and Pa land in the river, calling for help!

And suddenly their old neighbors come to the rescue. The Blue Jays mount a mission, flying Ma and Pa out of the river, the Beavers quickly come to their aid with one of their quicky constructions, and the Chipmunk family welcome them with hot acorn soup and warm beds of dry leaves. Life's better when everyone works together. Now the Squirrels know who is their neighbor. Soon the Squirrels move back to the safety of the sturdy oak tree, and life is fine and dandy for all--

THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed" is the powerful theme of Maryann Cocca-Lefler's new The Belonging Tree (Henry Holt and Company, 2020), a parable of true neighborliness that is more than a story of cute animals, one that appeals to one of the better angels of human nature, the urge to help each other. Artist Kristine Lombard's lovely illustrations of forest scenes and humorous animal families make this one a great read aloud for youngsters just learning to work together. With essential themes woven into a charming story, this is a recommended general purchase," says School Library Journal

The Usual Suspects: Who Stole the Hazelnuts!: A Forest Mystery by Marcus Pfister

All was quiet and all was still.
Until there came a scream so shrill.
The voice shrieked, "This is what I feared!
My hazelnuts have disappeared!"

Squirrel is freaking out. Someone has filched his nuts!

He's certain one of his forest friends must have swiped the cache, so he questions each one--Mole, Mouse, Bunny, and Hamster--but all decline to cop a plea.

"I know for a fact it isn't ME!"

Fox, however, takes a different denial defense. He's no vegan, he laughs.

"Me? Steal nuts? Don't be daft!
Chickens I'd steal. Lovely to chew.
Stay around, and I'll chew you, too!

Whoa! Squirrel makes himself scarce after that warning. Sadly he returns to his tree, without his precious hazelnuts and distinctly rumbly in the tumbly. But what does he see right under his tree?

What he sees there makes Squirrel quite sheepish, and he has to confess! He's the one who caused all this distress!

He's one repentant rodent, in Marcus Pfister's tale of the missing trove of nuts, Who Stole the Hazelnuts? (NorthSouth Books, 2019). Pfister's false accusation story is a good cautionary tale for youngsters who can be too quick to accuse others, and the noted author-illustrator's delicious rhymes and gorgeous illustrations make this a memorable seasonal mystery. Pfister's artwork, known for lush watercolor illustrations as in his top-selling The Rainbow Fish series (see reviews here), make this one an elegant entry into the autumn stories lineup, and David Henry Wilson's skillful English revision from the original German loses nothing in the translation. Recommended for all primary seasonal collections.

"If Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far Behind?" Bunny's First Spring by Sally Lloyd-Jones and David McPhail

BUNNY WAS BORN IN SPRING

WHEN THE WORLD WAS GREEN AND NEW.

"THE EARTH IS NEW LIKE ME!" HE SAID.

Bunny is thrilled with everything, all fresh and young and bright!

Flowers and butterflies are all around, as he sets out to meet all the other new forest babies, the robins and lambs who frisk and call energetically from the greening fields and trees.

Bunny grows bigger and stronger through spring and summer. Then one day he notices that his fur has gotten very thick. That's fine, but then he notices something that is disturbing. His favorite apple tree is dropping all her leaves, and his friends the robins are all flying away.

DON'T GO!" HE CRIES.

Bunny's mother and father advise him to wait and see what happens, but he doesn't understand. The cold winds blow, ruffling his thick coat, and then snow covers the wilted, brown plants. Frost turns the soft earth where he played to stone. His apple tree in the moonlight is like a skeleton of its summer self.

But the wilted flowers from beneath their snow blanket whisper that they are just hiding, and the apple tree shows Bunny something he hadn't noticed.

"OUR BRANCHES MAY LOOK BARE,

BUT ALL OUR BUDS ARE THERE!"

And in those waiting buds on the bare branches is nature's eternal promise that spring will come, and life will go on, in Sally Lloyd-Jones lyrical poem to the life cycle in Bunny's First Spring (ZonderKids Books, 2015). Notable illustrator David McPhail's gentle and realistic paintings celebrate the vitality of spring and summer and the promise of rebirth in the waiting winter forest beautifully for youngsters "grieving over Goldengrove unleaving."* A softer, more hopeful look at the little death that is winter, Lloyd-Jones and McPhail have crafted a lovely look at the seasons and the joy in spring that all creatures share.

"SPRING! IT'S THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD!" SAYS BUNNY.

*Poem, "Spring and Fall: To a Young Child" by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Action, Camera! This Is A Moose by Richard T. Morris

THIS IS THE MIGHTY MOOSE [Take One]

Clack goes the clapstick.

The elephant gaffer has the Kliegs lighting the star. The grip, a bored bear, holds the boom steady just out of camera range. The camera chimp is set to dolly in for the opening closeup. Director Waddler, a cliched quacker with a French beret, megaphone, and script board, has his concept firmly in mind--an award-winning wildlife documentary about to go before the cameras.

"CUT!"

It seems that this thespian is having a problem getting into character as a mighty moose. He's wearing a space helmet and obviously sees his character in a different role. He wants to play an astronaut. Actually, he wants to BE an astronaut. And he's determined not to be typecast as your typical moose, wading in a lake and munching lily pads.

Everyone in the North Woods gets into the act.  Grandma Moose paddles up in her red canoe and admits that she always wanted to be a player for a Division AAA lady lacrosse team:

"WHIP A SHOT IN! I'LL STIFF YOU, SONNY!"

From racket-wielding grannies to wannabe giraffe physicians, Director Waddle can't seem to get anyone in character for his documentary.  Instead, the crew and extras get into the Moosetronaut's dream of going into space and fashion a workmanlike rubber band catapult and get their jerry-built red-canoe capsule set for launch. It's "MOON or BUST!"

Director Waddler, his webbed feet spread wide, grabs his megaphone and bellows at the cast and crew:

"CUT!

LISTEN TO ME! ALL ANIMALS ARE GOING TO PLAY THEIR PROPER ROLES FROM NOW ON.

UNDERSTOOD?"

Everyone silently takes in the ironic absurdity of that direction. The bear grip, the giraffe staff doctor, the elephant gaffer, the kangaroo with the clapper, the chimp behind the camera, all look at what they are doing and at each other.

?????

Finally Director Waddler looks down at his feathers and webbed feet and realizes ... he's a mallard!

OH.

The director decides on a new, er, focus, for his film.

THE MOOSETRONAUT [Take One]

In Richard Morris' This Is a Moose (Little, Brown and Company, 2014), with faux cinematography by peerless artist Tom Lichtenheld, all the usual movie cliches are comically parodied, along with the premise that nature can be faked before the camera.  Lichtenheld's illustrations, done meticulously in  a tongue-in-cheek style and textured ink, colored pencil, and gouache pastiche, spoof all the tired movie tropes in a salute to the I-gotta-be ME main character who steals the show.  Even kids who have no idea of the various roles in movie making will get the humor of this book (a glossary of movie terms is appended) and will chuckle at the back cover, a faux front-of-book showing Moose on the moon, craters and all, with the title This Is the Moosetronaut.

Booklist brags in its starred review, "A rambunctious and hilarious story of embracing the unexpected," and Kirkus adds their asterisk and concurs, "A humorous--make that hysterical---homage to movies and big dreams."