If My Moon Was Your Sun [With Audio CD]

In this import from Germany, a 9-year-old boy named Max sneaks his grandfather, who has dementia--the Great Forgetting--and another older woman, Miss Schneider, out of their nursing home. Gently, he leads them to a country meadow where his grandfather once proposed to his grandmother. He's fully aware that they'll be caught but determined that his grandfather should experience the peaceful green country setting anyway. His mission is successful. His grandfather slips into brief lucidity and offers Max gentle reassurance of his continued love. Exuberant Miss Schneider, rail thin and very cheery, dances! Frequent illustrations that look to be done in colored pencil are rendered in an unusual palette of just four or five vivid colors that effectively capture the child's determined yet spontaneous nature.... A CD accompanies this volume; a clear-voiced male reader pauses to give readers time to appreciate the occasional wordless double-page spread. An interlude of classical music follows.... About half the interludes are from "A Summer Day" by Sergei Prokofiev and the rest from "Petit Suite" by Georges Bizet. An interview follows the narrative, with author and illustrator offering insight into their thoughts as they crafted this unusual work. A quiet story and pleasant music combine for a calming, peaceful, and even uplifting performance. --Kirkus Reviews
Steinhöfel tenderly captures a child's fear and understanding of a loved one with dementia. Shortly after his ninth birthday, Max woke with a feeling that "was endlessly deep and glowing" that something was missing. Taking action, he walks across town to the nursing home where his grandfather has recently moved. Max sneaks his grandfather out of the nursing home and they go to the nearby meadow, a magical place where Max and his grandfather have spent many summer days and where Max felt "watched over, protected and comforted" for as long as he can remember. They talk about the moon and how you can sometimes see it during the day, but not always. Later Max expresses his greatest fear to his grandfather, "That someday I'll ask, do you remember? And you won't remember anymore. And that someday...someday you will forget how much you love me." Max's grandfather assuages Max's fear with "You can't always see the moon, but you know it's always there. Right?" Steinhöfel's lush, evocative language, tingly with a sense of place and emotion, is accompanied by Palmtag's colored pencil illustrations that prove a perfect match with their whimsy and tenderness. VERDICT With its loving portrayal of aging, caring for the elderly, and the keen nature of kids' sensibilities, this is a must-purchase for all libraries serving children. -School Library Journal, Starred Review
The combination of the story, the illustrations, the music, and the bits of sage perspective from the young and old characters helps young readers to enhance their appreciation for music and to build awareness of and empathy for elders who are struggling in their later years but who still have much to offer. Readers may also begin to realize the simple potential of their own gumption.--Friends Journal