cover image White is the Moon

White is the Moon

Valerie Greenley, Valerie Greeley. MacMillan Publishing Company, $12.95 (22pp) ISBN 978-0-02-736915-1

This deceptively simple picture book offers a cumulative rhyme that is as rich in visual beauty as it is in lyrical language. Initially, a cloud-scumbled moon on the right-hand page opposes the verse on the left: ``White is the moon / Shining bright / Sees an owl / In the night.'' The owl sees a fox, the fox sees a frog, and so on; meanwhile the glowing sun rises and sets, ``changing hue / Sees the sky / Changing too,'' and night returns. The exploration of colors, nature and time is sumptuously served by Greeley's delicate imagery and sharply etched ilustrations. Bordered by different-colored frames, her verses are topped with detailed clock-like decorations that echo the themes of this striking, thoroughly satisfying book. Ages 2-6. (Apr.)