Cover of What Rhymes With Moon? by Jane Yolen

What Rhymes With Moon?

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.

What reviewers have said:

  • “The ever fluent (and proliific) Yolen offers 19 poems, written over ten years, on a single, well-worn topic–proving that there’s always more to say about this near neighbor, potent image, and spur to the imagination. For would-be potes , the variety here is instructive: rueful humor. . .references to various cultures. . .lyrical descriptions, intriguing images,.. . .An appealingly cozy offering, just right for bedtime sharing.”—Kirkus
  • *STARRED REVIEW* “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

Out of print.