Long Night Moon by Cynthia Rylant Illustrated by Mark Siegel

This book seemed to be a similar book to Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back by Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London. The book describes the names and legends of the Native American Moons that describe seasons or periods during the year. The January Moon must have been very bright to be able to show your way home. The March Sap Moon must be the dawn of spring, since small green trees and melting ponds are mentioned with it. The May Flower Moon is described as bright and cheerful. The illustration effectively shows it to light up the night. I like the description of the August Harvest Moon compared to a “big ripe melon” and “blessing the calm fields of hay.” The creatures must look up to the September Coon Moon for guidance as Rylant aptly describes thee moon showing creatures a “better path.” The title of the book seems to be named after the December moon, the Long Night Moon that must guard us through the night until morning in its faithfulness to light up the sky. I appreciated the illustrator’s note about how he chose his medium for illustrating Rylant’s poems about Long Night Moon. She brought out the unique night magic that the moons highlight over nature.