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CM . . .
. Volume XXI Number 2. . . .September 12, 2014
excerpt:
Walking home from choir practice where he�s learning to sing an ancient �Winter Moon Song�, a rabbit, �not so small, yet not big enough to be noticed�, notices the pattern of a rabbit on the moon. His curiosity about how it got there prompts his mother to relate an old legend of the Great Mother, Creator Rabbit. In this tale within a tale, a young rabbit tries to save Great Mother from starvation by jumping into her stew pot, but she rescues him instead and flings him at the moon. His image � rabbit-in-the-moon -- is the object of adulation by all the rabbits in the dark winter months and the magical inspiration for the �Winter Moon Song�. The song has always been performed inside the gathering place, but the little rabbit feels everyone is missing the magic of which his mother spoke. So he sings a solo outside, under the rabbit moon, guided by one wise elder. Those who join in find a new bond with their kind, and a new tradition is created. To this day, under the moon�s magical light and benevolent gaze of the rabbit-in-the-moon, rabbits may be seen leaping and dancing �and now you know why!
Brooks� text delights with images of snow, �as if a giant hand had tossed a blanket of stars to earth�, �fingering trees� and a way �to lighten the darkest month of the year with a trail of magic.� Illustrator Leticia Ruifern�ndez has breathed life into the tale with watercolor and ink double-page spreads. The paintings are simple and uncluttered, mostly in blues and whites. They comfortably engage the reader in the hushed setting of winter woods where it only takes a little imagination to capture the sound of a small choir raising their voices to the moon. This new tale, Winter Moon Song, is sure to become a listening favorite. Highly Recommended. Gillian Richardson is a freelance writer living in BC.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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Table of Contents for This Issue
- September 12, 2014. |
Inspired by folktales from other cultures, award-winning writer and singer Martha Brooks has created a fresh, original story to explain the rabbit-in-the-moon image in her first picture book. The �not so small� rabbit is a gentle symbol for a young child bravely taking a first step towards independent thought and action to satisfy his curiosity. Mix a new thinker with courage�and a new leader is born, one not afraid to challenge the status quo, or transform a ritual or tradition to the benefit of many.