Title: Moonlight
Author: Helen Griffith
Illustrator: Laura Dronzek
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Year: 2012
Word Count: Approx. 100
Summary: One cloudy night, after Rabbit goes into his burrow to sleep, the moon comes out, covering the countryside like butter and awakening Rabbit to come out and dance.
Moonlight is a beautiful rhyming picture book, but today I want to focus on the element of Word Play for my PB 14:14 blog challenge post. Moonlight is the perfect bedtime book with its dreamy illustrations and sweet, lyrical text. Here’s the opening line:
Rabbit hides in shadow
under cloudy skies
waiting for the moonlight
blinking sleepy eyes…
Isn’t that lovely?
Word Play is incorporated into the book through the use of Simile and Personification. Check out this exquisite line (my favorite in the whole book), in which the moonlight is compared to butter (Simile):
Moonlight slides like butter
skims through outer space
skids past stars and comets
leaves a butter trace…
We also get descriptive words that describe the moonlight’s actions as it makes its way to Rabbits burrow. These words make it seem like the moonlight is another character in the story (Personification):
slides (like butter)
skims (through outer space)
skids (past star and comets)
skips (along the mountainside)
sucks (at twigs and branches)
butters
skitters
slips
seeps
spatters
shakes
Moonlight is a stunning book and I highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself. Maybe you will find other elements of Word Play that I missed.
You do such an awesome job when you analyze text. I love how you break it down. This book sounds amazing. Another one for me to read. I already went online and ordered MAYA IS GRUMPY. I look forward to reading it. Thanks again for doing this. 😀
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Thanks so much, Jackie! I’m glad I am able to help others choose great books through my posts. You will LOVE Maya was Grumpy.
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I am getting it tomorrow. I can’t wait to read it. Thanks for popping over 😀
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What beautiful language. I will have to check this one out.
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Moonlight is a favorite of mine. I think I’d better purchase a copy for my personal collection instead of getting it from the library all the time. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
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