Mark Jones (10)

Caterpillars and other bugs gather to celebrate the vernal equinox in an explosion of color and light. I love the vibrant, gorgeous colors and elaborate decorations and details of the bugs' celebrations. The art is definitely the high point of this book.
I was disappointed by the text. It's too scattered and has no strong narrative thread. The odd juxtaposition of fact - how bugs hibernate for the winter, metamorphosis, and the vernal equinox - contrast oddly with the anthropomorphic bugs and their party. The addition of a "lesson" is also confusing; a small ant is upset that the caterpillars aren't helping with the party, but then learns that they are doing their own work, changing into butterflies. The story ends on an odd note with an unanswered question from the small ant.
I tried reading this in storytime and although the kids liked looking at the pictures, they really, really didn't care for the story. Preschoolers are too young to understand the concept of the vernal equinox and don't understand metamorphosis as presented in the book. But I don't think the anthropomorphic bugs will appeal to older children.

Verdict: Reluctantly not recommended for library purchase, because I really, really do love the artwork, but the text just doesn't work.… (més)

Crisp autumn breezes and warm harvest tastes serve as the inspiration of Harriet Ziefert’s picture book, By the Light of the Harvest Moon. When a tired, hard working farmer goes to bed on a night when the harvest moon is present, an autumn breeze comes along with a “swish, swish” and kicks up the fall leaves. The result is a group of leaf people, complete with grandparents, parents, children and pets. The children go off to play; doing all sorts of fall activities like bobbing for apples, stringing popcorn necklaces, juggling acorns, weaving wreathes out of leaves, and stacking pumpkins. When the stack of pumpkins teeters and rolls down a hill, the children follow it and are surprised by a party the grown-ups have created just for them, filled with a plethora of harvest foods. They even get to hear stories from a grandmother leaf-person about the autumn equinox and what it means.
By the Light of the Harvest Moon is a whimsical fall story told in rhyme with enchanting pictures by Mark Jones. The leaf people have pumpkins for heads, but they are proportionate and cute, not scary. They are dressed in actual cloth clothes from all different eras and even different countries, and even have “hairstyles” made from leaves. The leaf pets are particularly cute, and while the leaf people are made of traditional autumn colored leaves, the pets—a dog and a cat—are made of green leaves. The story itself does not have much plot; instead it chronicles the activities of the leaf people during one evening. The story of the autumn equinox seems forced and out of character for the rest of the story, since it is more like a school lesson and the rest of the book is fun and games. Still, this is a beautiful book that will surely stir imaginations about the possibilities presented by autumn evenings when the harvest moon is present. Recommended for grades Pre-K-3.… (més)