Welcome back to the Moon Book
Parade, highlighting five fantastic 2023 picture books that feature the Moon. You
can scroll down to see the first post in this series, which ran last Thursday. Here’s a list of all
the books:
Full Moon Pups by
Liz Garton Scanlon
and Chuck Groenink
Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond
and Maribel Lechuga
A Few Beautiful
Minutes: Exploring a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox and Khoa Le
Museum on the Moon: The
Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface by Irene Latham and Myriam Wares
Thank You, Moon:
Celebrating Nature’s Night Light by Melissa Stewart and Jessica
Lanan.
All
the creators have generously agreed to donate two copies of their book for a
double five-book giveaway. Leave a comment on any of the posts and share it on
Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to be eligible. We’ll announce the winner at
6:26 p.m. ET on October 28, when viewers on the East Coast will have a chance
to enjoy a partial lunar eclipse.
So where are we in the lunar
cycle? Tomorrow is the Last Quarter Moon, which looks like a half circle to
viewers on Earth. I hope you’ll have a chance to get outside and enjoy it.
Today, we’re continuing the Moon Book Parade with Night Owl Night written by Susan Edwards Richmond
and illustrated by Maribel Lechuga. What an incredible book! Reviewers have called it
“the modern-day Owl
Moon,” which is certainly high
praise.
Greetings, Susan. Can you
believe we’ve known each other for 22 years? We met when I joined the
children’s book critique group that meets at the library in Concord, MA—a great
town for writers and naturalists!
The Moon isn’t the focus of
your book, but moonlight plays an important role throughout and the climax
takes place under a glowing Full Moon.
Can you tell us what the Moon means
to you?
SER: First I’d like to thank you
for inviting me to be part of this very special Moon Book Parade, Melissa. I have
so enjoyed our friendship and collaborations over the past 22 years and am in
debt for all I’ve learned from you! I also want to give a shout out to all the
authors and illustrators in this wonderful collection of “moon” books. I
greatly enjoyed your recent interview with Full
Moon Pups author Liz Garton Scanlon.
Ever since I was a child I’ve
been fascinated by the night skies. My father used to take us out on our quiet
neighborhood streets to view the moon and other celestial bodies through my
brother’s telescope. The glow of a full moon on a clear night is particularly
magical. Seeing strong shadows cast across the snow was the one thing I
looked forward to when my dog woke me up in the middle of a full moon winter’s night
to pee! My husband Jim and I also requested two moon songs, “Somewhere Out
There” and “Blue Moon,” as the first dances at our wedding! All my life I’ve enjoyed
howling at a full moon and, when my children were young, encouraged them to
join me!
How did the idea for Night Owl Night come to you?
SER: As a preschool teacher at
Drumlin Farm I have had many opportunities to learn from scientists and
naturalists in the Mass Audubon community. I’ve gone on woodcock walks, attended
a “moth ball,” and assisted with bird counts. Some of these experiences appear in
my picture books, Bird Count and Bioblitz!
Night Owl Night was born the evening I was invited to participate in our sanctuary’s saw
whet owl banding program. At first, I just wanted to learn more about the birds!
I had never seen one in the wild and really wanted to.
Like my character, Sova,
the opportunity to encounter these beautiful creatures face to face and
contribute to the science of their migration was a powerful lure. It was when I
felt the tiny owl grip my sleeve as it poised for flight, however, that I knew
I wanted to share this experience with a young audience who might be similarly
“gripped.” (Photo by Matthew Seymour)
What was the most challenging
part of writing the book?
SER: One
of the challenges was to reassure children of the birds’ comfort and safety
during the banding process. Banding is such a critical part of learning about
migration pathways and the health of bird species. But it, also, by necessity,
involves trapping a wild animal. I was fortunate to have three Mass Audubon
professionals, who have been engaged in this work for many years, review this
book. Kathy Seymour, Renata Pomponi, and Gwen Shipley were instrumental in helping
me reflect the birds’ experience, as much as possible, and portray the banding
operation with compassion and accuracy.
The
book’s amazing illustrator, Maribel Lechuga, was an incredible partner in
portraying both the science and the magic. She was equally invested in getting
the atmosphere and the science right, and her illustrations extended both
aspects of the story in ways I never could have imagined! For example, it was
her idea to illustrate owls migrating along pathways on a map of the eastern
United States (using accurate banding numbers) as a backdrop to the banding
spread.
Night Owl Night came out in August. How did you celebrate?
SER: In
the run up to the book’s release, I wanted to celebrate other favorite
children’s books featuring owls. I also learned that Night Owl Night would be released
just 4 days after International Owl Awareness Day, August 4. I was so excited
by this serendipitous confluence of events that I launched a social media
campaign in May highlighting a different owl book on every date containing a 4!
The
first weekend after my August 8 book release, I set out on a mini-book tour in upstate
New York. My launch was at my original hometown bookstore, The Open Door
Bookstore in Schenectady, NY, near where I grew up and my parents spent most of
their lives. My brother still lives there with his family! My launch was a
special remembrance of my parents, who both passed away in 2022, so were unable
to see this book in its final form. I dedicate Night Owl Night to them.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
SER: I
hope, first and foremost, that readers will connect with the experience of
being out on a gorgeous moonlit night immersed in Nature’s mysteries. I would
love for the book to inspire children to find their own passions in their
environment and feel empowered to pursue them—even if they are a little bit
scared at first, as Sova is. Another theme of the book, of course, is patience,
and that big rewards take time and effort, and that it’s okay to wait. Just
don’t give up!
Do you have a favorite spread in the book?
SER: It’s SO hard to choose.
Maribel did an incredible job of illustrating Sova’s thoughts and the books’
action simultaneously. I particularly love the spread where Sova and her mother
are walking away from the cabin and towards the nets for the first time. Even
while Sova nervously questions her mother about the owls, she is imagining a
scene based on her mother’s reassuring response, cuddling with owls in a
hammock back home.
My husband Jim is adamant
about his favorite spread! He loves the portrayal of the owl’s face with Sova’s
eyes reflected in its pupils. William Reber also chose to highlight this moment
in the book’s trailer. This spread amazed me, as well, when I first saw it.
Instead of choosing just one of the measurement methods to portray, Maribel
managed to show them all in a beautifully balanced illustration!
Can you share a couple of Moon-themed children’s book
that you love?
SER: Well,
I love the books you’ve chosen here, Melissa! And I’m so grateful to be
included in their company. But as for earlier literature that continues to
inspire, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr, of
course leaps to mind! This book was seminal in my quest to write fact-inspired
fiction for children that attempts to invite readers into the experience being
described. I have also always loved Cynthia Rylant’s Night in the Country,
illustrated by Mary Szilagyi. It is not a full-moon night, but the crescent
moon makes an appearance on a couple of spreads like a beacon in the sky!
Susan and I will be doing a
presentation and signing copies of Night Owl Night and Thank You, Moon:
Celebrating Nature’s Night Light at 11:00 a.m. at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, MA, on October 14 (when there will be a New Moon AND
an annular solar eclipse). If you live in eastern Massachusetts, we hope to see
you there. You can also purchase signed copies of both books at the Silver
Unicorn Bookstore
in Acton, MA.
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