Long Night Moon, by Cynthia Rylant and Illustrations by Mark Siegel - Poetry

I would definitely add Cynthia Rylant’s Long Night Moon to my collection of bedtime stories that I would enjoy reading to my own children one day. This single-illustrated poem combines a peace of nature while teaching the reader about a Native American ritual and the changing of the seasons. The charcoal illustrations are extremely beautiful and fitting to match the words of the poem and the theme of night. I can feel everything in this book, from the cold snow in February, the warmth of the June night, the rumble of thunder beneath my feet and all around me in July, and the nearness of the October Acorn Moon. Night is a time that many, children particularly and adults even at times, find difficult to overcome from the fear and trepidation of the “unknown”. This book washes away that unknown fear and almost makes the reader want to go out walking at night and do just what the jacket cover in my book says, “…stop and consider what might be revealed in one spot over one year by twelve unique and exquisite full moons?”. I can almost imagine myself around a Native American campfire, listening to the elders tell tales of the moons and the seasons. I thought it was fitting to have a mother figure holding a child at the beginning of the story and again at the end of the story, almost telling her little one the story of the moons (like ancient people in the past would have done) and how they relate to him/her. The reader feels like they are the little one, learning about the moons, but at the same time, we are an onlooker to an ancient ritual between the old and the young.

It is during the months of January and February that I always wish that I lived somewhere where it snowed, like in the illustrations with the Snow Moon for February. The house looks so tucked in for the night, with the blanket of snow all around it. My eyes are immediately drawn to the deer, with the cold breath being exhausted. It is a misconception that nature shuts down at sunset, because so many animals begin activity at that time of day. It is interesting to think about the Sun and Moon being sister and brother, as is mentioned in the Snow Moon.

I want to be outside under the big tree in June during the Strawberry Moon. The illustrations throughout the entire book are so captivating and Monet-like, with the essence of light being very poignant in the pictures. Still, this illustration, with the fireflies and great full-moon, really draws the reader to the understanding that there really shouldn’t be anything to fear during this night with this moon.

The Thunder Moon in July talks about “…trembling, shuddering, and disappearing in the thick black sky.” The light is still present in the illustrations, but the foreboding and uncertainty that comes with a thunderstorm is very obvious, with the moon hiding its friendly and safe face in the dark clouds.

The October Acorn Moon is so large and happy looking, lighting the way for nature and all the animals to find their way to safety in the crisp fall weather, before the dawn of winter. It almost looks as if a person could reach up high enough and touch the face of the moon.

Without the illustrations, I do not believe that this book would have been as powerful as it was. It would be interesting to conduct a visualization activity with students, using Long Night Moon. I would read the poem to them, without showing the pictures, and allow them to draw what they “see” in the words. Then, compare the illustrations by Mark Siegel to their own. Still, this may also be a good book to just enjoy and devour, as it lends itself to some very soothing and delicious imagery.