Max and the Tag-Along Moon - by Floyd Cooper (Paperback)

About the Book

Original published: New York: Philomel Books, c2013.

Book Synopsis

Experience the wonder of the moon following you home with a Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator! Great for Father's Day and Grandparent's Day!

Max loves his grandpa. When they must say good-bye after a visit, Grandpa promises Max that the moon at Grandpa's house is the same moon that will follow him all the way home. On that swervy-curvy car ride back to his house, Max watches as the moon tags along. But when the sky darkens and the moon disappears behind clouds, he worries that it didn't follow him home after all. Where did the moon go--and what about Grandpa's promise?

Floyd Cooper received the Coretta Scott King Award for The Blacker the Berry, three Coretta Scott King Honors for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea, Meet Danitra Brown, and I Have Heard of a Land, and an NAACP image award. In Max and the Tag-Along Moon, his lush paintings perfectly capture the wonder of the moon, the love between grandfather and grandson, and that feeling of magic every child experiences when the moon follows him home..

"Coretta Scott King Award-winning Cooper has created a gentle, comforting story that will reassure children that those who love us are always with us."
--Booklist

"Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape--sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle's mirror--and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story's lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece. A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson."
--Kirkus Reviews

Review Quotes

"Coretta Scott King Award-winning Cooper has created a gentle, comforting story that will reassure children that those who love us are always with us."
--Booklist

"Cooper uses his signature style to illustrate both the landscape--sometimes viewed from the car windows or reflected in the vehicle's mirror--and the expressive faces of his characters. Coupled with the story's lyrical text, this is a lovely mood piece. A quiet, warm look at the bond between grandfather and grandson."
--Kirkus Reviews

"The full moon is a friendly presence on each spread, and the varied vantage points incorporate soothing imagery, such as a bird silhouetted against the sky. Signs with arrows point the way home, reassuring readers that despite the lengthy trip, Max is heading in the right direction. His face is expressive, clearly conveying his varied emotions, from wonder to happiness and wistfulness. Perfect for one-on-one readings"
--School Library Journal

"Writing in poetic, evocative prose, Cooper offers just the right amount of support to the lush illustrations and the thoughtful, observant hero."
--Publishers Weekly

"There's a softness to the naturalistic double-page scenes, particularly when the moon glow illuminates the night drive through the peaceful landscape and in the close-ups of Max's bedtime preparations. The paintings created using a subtractive process in mixed media help define Cooper's characteristic humanistic images."
--Children's Literature

About the Author

Floyd Cooper started drawing when he was three years old and has never stopped. He has been awarded the Coretta Scott King Award for The Blacker the Berry, three Coretta Scott King Honors for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea, Meet Danitra Brown, and I Have Heard of a Land, and an NAACP image award. He was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated with a degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma.