Full Moon and Star

by Lee Bennett Hopkins, Marcellus Hall

Overview

This charming picture book by the team that created City I Love introduces readers to playwriting and performing while sharing a unique and tender story of friendship.

Best friends Kyle and Katie do everything together. When Kyle decides to write a play about a full moon, Katie decides she will write one about a star. But it is always more fun to do things together, so when they decide to combine their two plays to create Full Moon and Star, the outcome is a beautiful collaboration and an over-the-moon testament to their friendship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613121931
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	08/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
File size:	36 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Lee Bennett Hopkins has written and edited numerous bestselling poetry collections, including his previous book with Abrams, City I Love. He lives in Cape Coral, Florida. Marcellus Hall is the illustrator of City I love and Because I Am Your Daddy. He lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

The team behind City I Love turns from love of place to love of friends in a story structured in three acts. After Katie and Kyle each write a play about friendship (Kyle's observes that two halves of the moon make one whole, while Katie's is about a star who longs to twinkle with her friend), they collaborate on the play that gives the book its title—it's the best of the three, they believe. "Do you know why I love it best?" Katie asks. "Why?" "Because we did it together," she says. "We should always do things together." "I agree," Kyle says. Their plays are the small-scale, living room productions most kids and parents alike will recognize (each is no more than a couple of lines long). But Hall imagines them produced in real theaters in front of glamorously attired adults; his jaunty, New Yorker cartoon–style artwork greatly tempers the story's more cloying notes. While older children may be impatient with the pair's unrelenting cheer, the very young will appreciate the absence of tension. Ages 3–7. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1—Best friends Kyle and Kate each write a simple play, then affirm their friendship by writing a play together. Kyle's play, Moon, brings two halves of the moon together; Kate's play, Stars, features two twinkling stars; and their combined effort, Full Moon and Star, is an unabashed tribute to the joys of friendship. Hall's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are charming, with cartoon characters sporting round, oversize heads and a retro feel. From start to finish, the book has an eye-catching design, but the slight tale sinks under the weight of cloying sweetness and sentiment. This is a disappointing follow-up from the team who crafted the fabulous poetry collection City I Love (Abrams, 2009).—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

Two young friends separately discover playwriting and then realize the benefits of cooperation.

The poet-and-illustrator team that created City I Love (2009) introduces the very young to another form of writing in this sweet and simple read-aloud: drama. Kyle and Katie, with their moonpie faces, serve as modern preschool versions of the archetypical comic-strip characters Nancy and Sluggo. Katie has black hair and the trademark red dress. Kyle has freckles and overalls. And although they are best friends, Kyle has written a play all by himself. Katie, seeing a good idea, follows up with her own play. The story switches between their backyard fun and stage performances complete with curtain calls, spotlights and audiences. When they decide to combine forces, the new play is elevated to parallel the love and loyalty shown between the two friends. This winsome tale is just another preschool story of cooperation. Yet the focus on playwriting and performance, complete with script formatting and special punctuation, sets a new stage for this common tale.

Perfect for budding thespians, this book in three acts would make an excellent springboard for classroom explorations of drama. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews