Sun and Moon Have a Tea Party by Yumi Heo (review)

Heo, Yumi Sun and Moon Have a Tea Party; illus. by Naoko Stoop. Schwartz & Wade, 2020 [40p] Library ed. ISBN 9780385390347 $20.99 Trade ed. ISBN 9780385390330 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780385390354 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs

In this original fable, the sun and the moon ruffle an otherwise enjoyable tea together with a squabble about the Earth. Moon says parents get children ready for bed, while Sun says they get children ready for school; Sun says streets are busy, while Moon says they're bare and dark; Sun says birds fill the sky, while Moon insists "they are always snuggled down in their nests." Eventually Cloud sorts out the situation and convinces each of them to change their schedule, peep out from behind Cloud, and observe what their counterpart does, giving them both new understanding of the world they light. This last entry from the talented late author has an effectively neo-legendary quality, and there's a subtle implication about perspective that could make for good discussion. Stoop's art, mixed media on plywood, draws on the underlying grain for a distant, windswept tone but occasionally punctuates it with small saturated pops, as in the lively morning glories. The result is a softly friendly world both in both day and night, with day's inviting crowds giving way to night's luminous beauty. Fans of Lin's A Big Mooncake for Little Star (BCCB 7/18) will appreciate this new imaginative take on celestial bodies.