Almost a Full Moon is a warm-hearted story of family, community, food and home. A boy and his grandmother host a gathering in their small cabin in the middle of winter. Friends travel from near and far, and some new friends even turn up. The walls of the cabin are elastic and the soup pot bottomless; all are welcome. Based on the lyrics of Hawksley Workman's song from his holiday album Almost a Full Moon, this book evokes both the cold and the coziness of a winter's night: crisp clean air, sparkling snow, the light of the moon, welcoming windows, glowing candles, family and friends. The spare text is beautifully complemented with the rich illustrations of Jensine Eckwall, a new talent to Tundra. She brings beauty and a hint of magic to Workman's evocative lyrics; together, they create a world and a night that will enchant readers of all ages.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Truth be told I really wasn't a fan of this book and it didn't hold my children's attention at all. I had very high hopes for it because the cover is just beautiful.
A few things just didn't work for me. The book seemed to be more about making soup because the weather was getting cold than it was about the full moon. It just didn't make sense to me and what kid wants to read about soup? The second thing that bothers me is that there was really no flow to the words. I like children's books that just flow off the tongue. They don't have to rhyme but I like when they have a cadence or rhythm to them and this book totally lacked it.
I'm definitely disappointed because I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it was a no go.
