Once in a Blue Moon

Written and illustrated by Danielle Daniel

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-975-1

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

October 2017

We know that some things happen very rarely and they are cause for celebration and note.  These are things which we recognize as happening "once in a blue moon."  I'd like to recommend that we add any book from Marilyn Baillie picture book award-winning author-illustrator Danielle Daniel whose work was last enjoyed in I Am Canada: A Celebration (Scholastic, 2017) and her debut book Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (Groundwood, 2015).

From Once in a Blue Moon
by Danielle Daniel

In four-line verses that always start with the line "Once in a blue moon", Danielle Daniel recognizes an extraordinary natural event of rainbows, fireflies, trees, Northern Lights, a painted turtle and more. Accompanying the verse is an illustration on the right side of the double-spread page as seen in the image above.

Once in a blue moon,
floating across the river,

I spy a large brown owl

hooting down at me.

From Once Upon a Blue Moon
by Danielle Daniel

Like the rarities it celebrates, Once in a Blue Moon shines light on nature's wonders.  Some, like double rainbows, a tree, and a shooting star, may be seen in urban settings whereas others, like the Northern Lights and moose, are more likely to be witnessed in remote areas.  Regardless, Danielle Daniel's bold colours and shapes, strong in message and line, extol simple wonders that you don't have to travel to the far reaches of the world to see.  There is an organic feel to her art, perhaps a folkloric vibe or a reflection of Danielle Daniel's Métis heritage.  Whatever the nature of her artistry, Danielle Daniel has given us a picture book to encourage appreciation of what we do have and are able to behold regularly in Canada and it is Once in a Blue Moon.

From Once in a Blue Moon

by Danielle Daniel