WHAT RHYMES WITH MOON? Illustrated by Ruth Tietjen Councell Philomel 1993 ISBN# 0-399-22501-3 Philomel hardcover

This is a book of poems all about the moon. Ruth's warm and loving illustrations are a real highlight of the book. (See "Old Dame Counterpane" for more about her work.) A few of the poems were reprints, but most are original to this book.

       Out of print.

What reviewers have said: "As with Owl Moon , Yolen will dazzle readers with these 19 poems about the moon. Councell, ( Handel and the Famous Sword Swallower of Halle ), meanwhile, contributing a palette of muted blues, purples, and grays, proves an effective counterpart. Both author and artist move easily from a spoof of British Mother Goose to a poignant poem about the ``Old Woman Who Never Dies,'' the Sioux name for the moon. Easily accessible to children, Yolen's images startle and tease. The moon is ``a sickle for pruning the stars,'' a ``coin hung in the sky'' or a place to house ``everything that got broke on earth.'' By turns wise, clever, entertaining, and thoughtful, these well-crafted poems are powered by their concentrated simplicity, and, like the moon itself, hint of revelation in ordinary things." -- Publishers Weekly

"Written in a variety of poetic styles, including haiku, the selections evoke moods that range from fanciful, to humorous, to serious. Fantasies and realities of nighttime are perfectly captured in the rich, double-page illustrations. ... These beautifully rendered illustrations enhance the enjoyable, readable selections.." -- School Library Journal

"These 19 poems--written in haiku and rhymed and unrhymed verse--reflect varied and positive aspects of the moon. ... The range of ideas, from humorous to pensive, flows through the well-chosen words, although some verses speak more effectively than others. Watercolor paintings, touched with opaque white and showing rounded figures and distinctive backgrounds, possess an eternal quality like that of the moon itself." -- BookList

To Buy a Copy

Jane Yolen Home Page