Moon Wishes

Moon Wishes is a beautiful book. Authors Guy and Patricia Storms have created a sparse text that leaves space for the reader to dream and imagine. This simple and lyrical text is perfectly paired with soothing watercolour-like illustrations by Milan Pavlović. The thick pages have a lovely feel and serve as a perfect medium for the lush illustrations.

The illustrations are made of mixed media, drawing inks and colour pencils. Pavlović is an experienced illustrator, and his expertise shows in Moon Wishes: delicate washes of colour overlap to create a dreamy kaleidoscope of colour and movement. Greens, blues, yellows and purple dominate the book and create a gentle colour theme that carries readers through the book’s range of landscapes. Pavlović balances the white space with colour so that readers’ eyes are drawn around to the different elements in his pictures. The illustrations contain defined shapes with colours that bloom into each other to create a sense of depth despite the simplicity of the figures. A young reader might enjoy pointing out the range of colours Pavlović uses to depict the kindly moon overlooking the scenes.

The book encourages readers to do good in the world: “If I were the moon, I would give a voice to those who need it.” (p. 9) Although Moon Wishes may not have an explicit environmental conservation or social justice message, the theme of care and love for others is clear in this book. The Storms demonstrate how a minimalist text can effectively communicate an age-appropriate message to be a good person. The book ends with three wordless illustrated spreads that could serve to lull the reader into a peaceful rest or to allow young readers to fill in the space with what they would do if they were the moon.

Moon Wishes is would be a great addition to any preschooler’s library as a bedtime or quiet time book.