By the Light of the Moon

****

Tom Percival, Bloomsbury, 32pp, 9781408852118, £6-99 pbk

“Moving house is a BIG thing for most people. Ivan’s old house has always been so warm and friendly. This one is NOT.”  This is a book to explore and reassure small people moving house, when all seems so new and uncertain.  Ivan finds getting to sleep in strange, unfamiliar surroundings difficult. When a shimmering light showers across the sky and bounces down into the new garden, Ivan leaps out of bed and dashes outside to join it.  And so begins a night adventure led by the pink, stripey creature called Moji, who holds aloft a magic paintbrush. Together they FLY across the night sky; high, higher than the stars, until Ivan can almost touch the MOON. Adventure follows adventure until Moji paints the word HOME across the sky. This brings Ivan back with a jolt as he says, “THIS IS NOT MY HOME.” Moji to the rescue, as he then paints pictures of Ivan in his new house, happy pictures. An understanding is reached, as Ivan realises the new house may not feel like home at the moment, but soon it will. This warm, comforting story is perfect for young children experiencing a house move. The pictorial end papers show the phases of the moon, introducing correct terminology; new moon, waxing quarter, waning gibbous. Tom Percival may well be known for his memorably striking illustrations for Derek Landy’s ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ series. This picture book will delight for its sensitivity, covering a situation that often causes upset.