Written and Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Max leaves his grandfather’s house one night after a visit. While hugging his grandpa goodbye, he notices the huge yellow moon against the dark sky. Grandpa tells Max that the moon will always be there, shining for him everywhere he goes. On the ride home, Max gazes out of the back car window, watching the moon follow them through trees, curvy roads, and across fields. When Max arrives home, the moon was hidden behind some clouds and he wondered if maybe Grandpa was wrong. Max was tucked in bed, still thinking about that moon when he noticed a yellow glow fill his bedroom. The tag-along moon had reappeared! He knew that he would think of Grandpa every time he saw it.
I love that this story focuses on the bond between a child and his grandparent. These kinds of stories are so important to highlight. My sister and I lived with our grandparents our entire childhoods. My mother lived there as well and worked really hard, but my grandparents were my heroes. They could do no wrong in my eyes. They played such pivotal roles in my becoming who I am that stories that show that grand child/parent bond really resonate with me. I also think that it’s important, especially around the Father’s Day weekend, to show that father figures come in all different forms.
This book is the perfect length for a bedtime or anytime story. It’s a picture book on the slightly older end of that age range. There are some words like “roundabout” and “nightingales” that a beginning reader may need help with. Overall, it’s a nice, sentimental story that will engage a listener or reader with a short attention span.