Sun and Moon Together (Happy County Series #2)

by Ethan Long

Overview

Sun and Moon Together is a vibrant, graphic picture book compendium for preschoolers set in a Richard Scarry-inspired environment by Geisel Award-winning creator Ethan Long.

Welcome to another busy day in Happy County! The Sun is out and shining down on lots of friends. Grammy Tammy from Miami is doing grimey, slimey laundry. Sssonny Sssnakerton wants to grow sssunflowers. And when the Sun says goodbye for the day, the Moon pops up for a new set of adventures. Now Molly and her mom can make moon shadows and howl night noises.

This 48-page full-color primer is chock-full of charming characters and basic scientific concepts connected to the sun and the moon presented in simple, accessible terms for the young audience, touching on: the water cycle, phases of the moon, the solar system, and plenty of clever scenarios to keep little ones engaged.

Happy County
#1 Hello, World!
#2 Sun and Moon Together

Christy Ottaviano Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250191748
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	08/11/2020
Series:	Happy County Series , #2
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	10.26(w) x 12.33(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Ethan Long is the acclaimed author and illustrator of many books for children, including Hello, World! and Sun and Moon Together, Books 1 and 2 in the Happy County series, as well as Tickle the Duck, Fright Club, Valensteins, Fangsgiving, Chamelia and Up, Tall and High!, for which he received the Geisel Award. He is the illustrator of Dump Truck’s Colors and Cement Mixer’s ABC, two board books in the bestselling Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series. He is also the creator of the animated, Emmy-nominated series Tasty Time with ZeFronk. Ethan lives with his family in Orlando, Florida.

Editorial Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"As the sun sets and the moon takes prominence, the different types of spreads repeat. For instance, readers look for characters in a busy evening scene, Hector films a movie starring the moon, and science lessons comprise phases of the moon, tides, and the planets. ... A delightful blend of language, science, and visual literacy skills." —Booklist

From the Publisher

2020-06-03
This return visit to Happy County following series opener Hello, World! (2020) includes informational sections along with brief narratives, search-and-find challenges, lots of labels, and many visual jokes.

Once again there are 18 chapters, mostly two pages each. The action takes place over two days and two nights with the Sun and the Moon depicted in both factual and fanciful fashion. Small stories feature a grandmother’s visit, a filmmaker’s frustration, a hot air balloon mishap (solved with ingenuity by the Bright Brothers), an entrepreneurial snake gardener, and a backyard campout. Sections between the stories provide basic facts, with varying success, about the water cycle, photosynthesis, the phases (or “faces”) of the moon, tides, planets, and solar power. In addition to feeling slightly arbitrary despite their ties to the moon and sun, these informational sections are generally too brief to be truly informative, most obviously in the explanation of low and high tides. Occasionally awkward phrasing further weakens the overall appeal. Despite these flaws, there is plenty to like about Long’s busy artwork and the (mostly) anthropomorphic animals that populate his cheery community. Luckily, the format lends itself to reading sections independently as well as sequentially. Fans of the first book will be amused by spotting Farmer Del, still chasing L’il Beaky, on some spreads while readers new and old will enjoy catching the clever puns and learning a wide variety of vocabulary words. (This book was reviewed digitally with 12-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Overstuffed and not entirely successful, this follow-up is nonetheless fun and entertaining. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews