The Moon Watched It All

Written by Shelley A. Leedahl

Illustrated by Aino Anto

Red Deer Press

978-0-88995-537-0

32 pp.

Ages 5-9

February 2019

The moon may watch over all of us, sometimes only shining light or hiding in the dark, but, like a watchful deity, it is omnipresent, guiding with a subtle beacon for those seeking direction.

An orphaned boy with only vague memories of a woman's voice and a gentle hand survives alone seeking food and clothing wherever and living in the forest. Elsewhere a woman known as Miranda lives in her home near the woods, rocking and talking to the moon.

She praised it, like she once prized her children, in a time before a time that was then.

From The Moon Watched It All by Shelley A. Leedahl, illus. by Aino Anto

After a man brutally chases the boy away–"Get you, Boy"–he runs far away, finding shelter in a chicken coop and food in an adjacent garden. The moon whispers to Miranda of the boy in the garden but it is not until she is ready to invite him inside for better food and shelter that the two become true companions, finding a way to be themselves with each other.

The Moon Watched It All may be marketed for ages five to nine but I think it is an allegory of such depth that it can and should be read beyond those ages. At its foundation, it is a story of an orphan boy, scorned and rejected, who finds a home with a woman alone who talks to the moon. But, in each, they find the family that they have lost.

From The Moon Watched It All by Shelley A. Leedahl, illus. by Aino Anto

Shelley A. Leedahl's intense story may be in prose form but its intensity parallels that of poetry, steeped in the melancholy of Miranda ...

Her face in the moon's unwavering spotlight. She was a lake unruffled, the coal fire's glow. 

... and the isolation and trepidation of the boy.

Night came calling, and he thought of boots, of heels, and the finger-quick hands. He thought of the children with sticks, and villagers who possessed the power to look right through him. The boy held out his own hand, and could not keep it steady.

From The Moon Watched It All by Shelley A. Leedahl, illus. by Aino Anto

There is a stillness of person and place that seeps into the story which is far more extensive in text and lyricism than in books typically for the very young. As such it has a strength of message that is both serene and profound. It bears being read over and over to capture the importance of the text and its voice of solemnity and grace.  I don't know if that comes from Shelley A. Leedahl's skill as a poet but her words lull and inspire and tug and reassure.

The same goes for Aino Anto's illustrations that take the readers through the forest and beneath the moon, watching and waiting as the boy and the woman do. This is Aino Anto's first picture book and her paintings evoke such emotion without indignation at what are sad circumstances for both the boy, whose identity is only that of Boy, and for Miranda, who endures the passage of time rather than biding it for hope. Or that was the situation until they make a family of their own.

I wept for a mother alone and forgotten and a boy ignored and abused. Each alone in their own ways, one speaking to the moon and one living outside in its light. And the moon watched it all as the two come together, as a waxing moon, growing into something important.

Larf

Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
978-1-55453-701-3
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
2012

There's no way anyone could think that the term "abominable snowman" is a synonym for a sasquatch when that sasquatch is Larf.  How could anyone possibly consider a seven-foot vegetarian who jogs, gardens and cares lovingly for his pet bunny, Eric, as anything but adorable. (Hmm.  Adorable? Abominable? They must have the two words confused.)  So what if he's big and elusive?  In these times of social justice, we should embrace his uniqueness and individuality and respect his privacy.

From Larf, written and illustrated by Ashley Spires

And, if Larf reads about another sasquatch and decides he'd like to meet another of his kind, so be it.  Solitude, after all, isn't always the only option.  So, Larf camouflages himself in a pair of jeans and a black beret, and, with Eric strapped into his front baby carrier, Larf takes the bus to the busy town of Hunderfitz.  But, meeting the sasquatch is not as Larf predicts, and disappointment ensues.  However, this sasquatch still helps fate bring companionship to Larf's life through an unexpected encounter.

From Larf, written and illustrated by Ashley Spires

Just as Ashley Spires' Binky the Space Cat (Kids Can Press, 2009) and Small Saul (Kids Can Press, 2011) have charmed their way into readers' hearts, so will Larf, the gentle giant of sasquatches.  Although Larf believes he is the only one of his kind, children will have heard about the terrifying Yeti, the Abominable Snowman, and Bigfoot whose size overrides any other descriptors other than vicious.  But Larf's size does not define him because his character is far too lovable to be impeded by his bulk.  Charmingly, Ashley Spires uses bright and unpretentious ink and watercolour (just like Larf himself) to illustrate his story.  But it's the details that will have readers searching for hints and hidden humour throughout, whether it be the declaration on Larf's mug or the very Canadian blanket he drapes across his lap.  Ashley Spires' Larf uses a light touch to illustrate how we should be ourselves but be open to new adventures that may enrich our lives in unpredictable ways.