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—Publishers Weekly, June 6, 2011
A grandmother who lives in the U.S. prepares to visit her grandson, who lives in Africa. While the moon is common to them both, she points out the many differences in their lives as she reminisces about past times together. When it is cold in one place, it is hot and dry in the other. There is ice-skating where she lives and lake swimming where he lives. Always, though, there is the moon, and as the story comes to a close, grandparent and grandchild are reunited under it. Collier’s vibrant illustrations are a blend of watercolor and his trademark collage. This is a wonderful book to contrast different lifestyles. Pair it with Nigel Gray’s A Country Far Away (Scholastic, 1989) to further illustrate cultural differences and human commonalities.–Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
SLJ, August 2011
Missing a grandchild in a distant tropical country, a grandmother remembers their times together and reflects that they share the same moon.
While New Englander MacLachlan has dedicated her collection of memories to a granddaughter in Tanzania, Collier's textured watercolor-and-collage illustrations tell a different story. In his version, a brown-haired grandmother is packing a bag and a present and taking an airplane to visit her grandson while recalling earlier visits and imagining what he might be doing.These images extend across the gutter; the gentle text is set on a complementarily colored panel and addresses the grandchild directly. Pictures contrast grandmother's winter of snow and ice with lush African scenes of the child's world; loving dogs dwell in both places. The moon is featureless, neatly avoiding the issue of its upside-down appearance on opposite sides of the equator. On the culminating "Your moon is my moon too" page, text and picture join.Both author's and illustrator's stories are personal and particular; the combination may broaden the appeal. But they may also confuse readers who will wonder about the apartment-dwelling grandmother's proximity to the mountains.
Both doting grandparents and their faraway grandchildren can appreciate the message of this unabashedly sentimental tribute, an obvious gift book.(Picture book. 3-7)
Overview
A beautiful, lyrical poem coupled with Bryan Collier's rich collages, Here and There celebrates the importance of staying close to your family, even across ...