Judy’s Library Corner: A Fanciful Delight – The Boy And The Moon.

I’m thrilled to be introducing you to a new children’s book author/illustrator  who just happens to be a friend of mine. I was lucky enough to find him and see his portfolio at a writer’s group in my area. I was so struck by his talent that I couldn’t wait for him to get a book published. I’m pleased to announce the arrival of that very book.

It’s called The Boy And The Moon, written and illustrated by James Christopher Carroll.  The art in this book stands alone and it’s just an extra bonus that the story is just as captivating. Each illustration started as a digital picture that was transferred into the computer and then layered, painted and touched with a bit of magic. Mr. Carroll loves the natural elements, so many of his illustrations are textured by layers of photographs of trees, grass, and other outside elements.

From the first time I saw Mr. Carroll’s art I thought of Eric Carle, and how he takes swatches of painted paper to make his amazing colorful illustrations. I’m calling it – I think James Christopher Carroll will be the ‘new’ Eric Carle, the digital photo version.

The precious little boy in the story, Mr. Carroll’s own son, finds great delight in dancing at night and howling at the moon. Then one night the moon gets stuck in a tree. The rest of the story involves the journey the boy takes as he tries to help the moon. I don’t want to spoil the ending for you, but I thought it was pure genius that the winning solution  was the boy feeding the moon apples from that very same tree that captured it, until “the moon was so full, and so big and so round, she rolled right off the tree up into the night sky.”

I have a feeling that young children will never look at a ‘full moon’ in the same way again.

Mr Carroll is a fairly well known artist in the world of grownups also. His work has appeared around the world, including at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science & Technology in Milan and the United Nations in New York City. His website shows samples of a variety of his work.

I bought several copies of The Boy And The Moon for the special little ones in my life, and not just because my friend Jim signed them for me. I bought them because this is a stunning book with rich illustrations and a light hearted story. I can’t wait to have a chance to buy his next book.