The Moon Moved In

Soltis brings a playfully serious sensibility to this whimsical tale about the chaos that ensues after the moon takes up residence on Earth. Young Stella, portrayed with dark hair and pale skin, longs for a playmate to move in next door; when the moon arrives in search of space to garden, the pair strike up a neighborly friendship. After planetary problems multiply, though, Stella raises the possibility that her celestial friend should return home, highlighting the plights of sea snails, doodlebugs, and dung beetles all left adrift without the orb. Saturated coloring and chalk-like markings lend Sànchez’s digital renderings an otherworldly vibrancy. Persuaded of its relevance, the lunar protagonist again climbs aloft, leaving behind a garden that eventually attracts a more down-to-earth pal for Stella, making for a conclusion that cleverly underscores the moon as an essential partner to Earth. Facts conclude. Ages 3–5. (July)