As a child, I treasured picture books. Today that passion has dramatically increased; in fact, to the point where my library’s bookshelves are over stuffed with beautiful works of art as well as engulfed with words that voice a rainbow of colorful meanings.
“At the Height of the Moon” A Book of Bedtime Poetry and Art is a children’s book published by Prestel Junior and edited by Annette Roeder, Alison Baverstock and Matt Cunningham, as I see it, is a delightful, delicious and a pleasurable read for all ages.
One of my favorites about this book is that it is filled with poetry and art, taking me back to my days teaching elementary art such as, I found on page 40 in the artwork, “The Dream” by Henri Rousseau as well as the poems, “Rainforest” by Judith Wright and “The Tempest” (Act III, Scene 2) by William Shakespeare.
Again, ‘At the Height on the Moon’ takes my thoughts go back to when I would have my fourth graders create images of jungle animals, using chalk on black paper. They would cut out the shapes and they would be displayed in a 3-D look on an extra-large hallway bulletin board. Some of the animals appeared hidden among the lush green tropical foliage.
Adding to the visual feel, audio jungle sounds of animals in the background enhanced the children’s work which I found it instilled a deep pleasure of satisfaction by my artists for their creations; verily, they would spend much time huddled in front of this large hallway exhibition, exploring all the mysterious and hidden surprises.
In recap, this book has been meticulous constructed in a way which has renewed my appreciation for not taking shortcuts, but plainly doing it right.
Review by Pat Rayman