I found this picturebook to be relaxing, lyrical (of course) and simple. The reader sees a scene for each of the moons that occur during the year. I enjoyed learning about the Native American names for each moon and was able to appreciate why each name was fitting for that moon. The names for the moons seem to relate to the seasonal events of the time-- "Sprouting Grass Moon" for April and "Thunder Moon" for July. It added to my appreciation and understanding of Native American respect for nature.
The illustrations of the picturebook added depth to my understanding of the poem. I often have difficulty understanding poetry at the level I usually understand prose. The illustrations helped me to visualize and follow the poem's meaning more closely. This book would definitely be great to use with kids. So often, teachers choose not to use poetry and as a result children never learn to understand it. (like my own experience!) Having the illustrations to enhance understanding and reduce the comprehension load was helpful for me and I'm sure it would be for students as well.
At the end of my copy of the book, the illustrator included a note to tell the reader how he came to choose charcoal as the medium for the illustrations. It indicates that he tried other mediums but felt that they weren't right. I think the charcoal was perfect. At night, edges are softened and colors are muted. With the charcoal, I felt like I was standing in the night too.
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3 comments:
I really like how you analyzed the colors and illustrations in this book. You are right, at night colors are softened and muted, adding to a sleepy, peaceful feeling. I can imagine reading this book as a bedtime story my child one day and looking out at the moon to distinguish what name it was called. I teach the phases of the moon and seasons in the third grade and I am certainly going to read this to my class!
I agree, reading in Rylant's first stanza that naming each moon is a Native American tradition really set the tone of appreciation/ respect for the moon as a part nature. I loved the pictures, and thought they really brought out the imagery of Rylant's poem. I think you make a valid point that this book would help students understand poetry because the text is simple and non intimidating. Next week, in our Harcourt text we are studying the genre of poetry and the focus strategy is creating mental images. I will definitely use this book as a read aloud to reinforce the genre and the focus strategy.
I too, felt relaxed and entranced by this book. Rylant's soothing tone, coupled with the subdued charcoal illustrations creates a calming effect for the reader. I could also see how this book would be a great way to incorporate poetry in the classroom read-aloud. I thought about how my students could glean characteristics about the seasons through the names given to each moon. Children, as well as adults can learn a great deal about Native American customs by reading this book.
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