The Moon Ring

A child discovers the truth of her grandma's dictum that "magic loves blue-moon light," when a Frisbee-sized, wish-granting silver ring falls at her feet. It being a "hot, hot, hot" summer night beneath that moon, Maxine wishes for cool—and suddenly she's cavorting on ice with penguins and seals. That's just the start of a breathless, world-spanning tour to Africa and then New York—bringing the animals along with her—and fetched up at last back in her own bed. A dream? The rest of her family may think so, but grandma just smiles and outside the window a penguin, a seal, and a giraffe frolic. Looking pasted down over flat backgrounds, DuBurke's loose-limbed figures sport gaping mouths and exaggerated expressions of glee or dismay—a sure sign of a new illustrator who's trying too hard. Neither the endpapers nor the title-page scenes have anything to do with the rest of the story, beyond portraying the same African-American family picnicking in that hot summer. Still, the boundless energy and sheer playfulness of this debut will please young readers, and leave them hoping to see more from DuBurke. (Picture book. 6-8)