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Winter Moon Song
Have you ever seen the rabbit-in-the-moon? Folktales from many cultures explain how the rabbit came to be there. When award-winning novelist Martha Brooks heard one such tale, she was inspired to write her own lovely story about a little rabbit who finds a special way to brighten the darkest month of the year. A little rabbit asks his mother how the shape of a rabbit came to be on the moon. She tells him the story of Great Mother Creator Rabbit, who came down to earth to see how her creatures lived. Finding herself cold and hungry, she built a fire, placing a stewpot on top. Another rabbit, seeing her predicament, took it upon himself to save her and jumped into the pot. But before he could perish, Great Mother Rabbit tossed him up into the moon. The little rabbit’s mother explains that this is why all the rabbits now gather to hear the choir sing “Winter Moon Song,” to bring light and a little magic at the darkest time of the year. The next night all the rabbits gather to hear the ancient song, and the little rabbit takes his place in the choir. But at the end of the performance, he feels a little disappointed. It had been beautiful, but did not seem all that special, and certainly not magic. In the wintry air outside the gathering place, the little rabbit looks up at the rabbit-in-the-moon and is suddenly inspired to sing the song once more, very tentatively at first, and then more courageously. Some of the other rabbits, even the old ones, join in; some are moved to tears. And in singing the song anew, they realize the joy in being one great rabbit family. Leticia Ruifernandez has graced the story with her tender illustrations. Includes an author’s note.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published August 12, 2014
24 people want to read
About the author
Martha Brooks
28 books51 followersMartha Brooks is an award-winning novelist, playwright and jazz singer whose books have been published in Spain, Italy, Japan, Denmark, England, Germany and Australia, as well as in Canada and the United States. She is a three-time winner of the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year, as well as the Ruth Schwartz Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, the Governor General’s Award, and the Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work. Letters to Brian is her first book for adult readers. She lives in Winnipeg.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 3, 2020
I read this for the "Set In Winter" part of my 2020 reading challenge. It was a cute book, I really enjoyed the artwork and the idea of rabbits gathering to sing.
September 28, 2014
Although many of us might claim to be able to see the visage of a man in the moon, there are cultures that detect a rabbit on its surface. This book offers the author's version of a folktale about how it came to be there. Soft watercolor and ink illustrations and a gentle text make this one quite charming and perfect for reading aloud at bedtime. It's easy to get caught up in the rabbit's curiosity and bravery as he sings.
October 4, 2014
Exquisite - Brooks uses elements of the traditional stories about rabbits and the moon (a traditional she nicely acknowledges in a lovely author's note) but with a wonderful musical twist! The illustrations by Leticia Ruifernandez are as exquisite as the story is!
February 10, 2019
This is a great winter night read.
It may be a little on the long side for a children's story time, but it might work for a family story time.
I love how the language and pictures create a warming winter tale. You can really feel the snow and cold of winter around you as you read this book. Even though its a longer story, be sure to take your time with it when reading it. There's a lot to uncover in the story.
The ending is a great payoff to everything leading up to it. Be sure to find the right crowd for this book, as they will be well rewarded with this story.
It may be a little on the long side for a children's story time, but it might work for a family story time.
I love how the language and pictures create a warming winter tale. You can really feel the snow and cold of winter around you as you read this book. Even though its a longer story, be sure to take your time with it when reading it. There's a lot to uncover in the story.
The ending is a great payoff to everything leading up to it. Be sure to find the right crowd for this book, as they will be well rewarded with this story.
November 29, 2021
This fiction book is for 1st to 3rd grade readers about how rabbits believe they came to exist and how a young rabbit believes an old tradition of song has been lost and decides to reignite the hearts of all their hearts through song. I think this book's story and illustrations are perfectly married and the simplicity of the pictures are a great visual for the story. I think this book helps students to continue to ask questions and also believe in their beliefs and act with their hearts. I would recomend this book to young readers.
January 8, 2018
The moon rabbit is a tale that appears in Japan as well as Canadian indigenous culture. There are different twists of course, but all about the rabbit in the moon. This is another twist on the rabbit moon story, and it is endearing as the song the young rabbit offers in tribute.
April 22, 2021
Beautiful artwork.
December 16, 2022
This was interesting, if a bit wordy.
February 7, 2016
This is another one that Mama had to read TO me, and it was SO good!!
You just sit back and listen and you can hear the bunnies singing!
And you know, I never thought about how that moon looks like a bunny. It always looked like some guy's face to me. And then when we looked it up on the internet where they made drawings of it, some of those drawings looked like dinosaurs and other ones looked like squirrels with really big heads. Only a couple of them looked like bunnies.
But I guess if you're a bunny and you look at the moon, that's what you see.
So now we need to wait until the moon gets really bright again and see if it IS a bunny.
But even if it's not, this was the BEST story!!
Someone needs to read it to you too.
You just sit back and listen and you can hear the bunnies singing!
And you know, I never thought about how that moon looks like a bunny. It always looked like some guy's face to me. And then when we looked it up on the internet where they made drawings of it, some of those drawings looked like dinosaurs and other ones looked like squirrels with really big heads. Only a couple of them looked like bunnies.
But I guess if you're a bunny and you look at the moon, that's what you see.
So now we need to wait until the moon gets really bright again and see if it IS a bunny.
But even if it's not, this was the BEST story!!
Someone needs to read it to you too.
February 13, 2015
A beautiful secular holiday book that ties the present to the past and the distant past, in an aesthetic, non-human, non-narcisstic way. Some children will be enchanted, some may just not get the non-ending ending, but they all will appreciate the art.
January 4, 2025
Found this in a "Free Little Library" in Vancouver. Stellar illustrations but felt the story was meandering. I know it's a children's book so I thought it would be cozy. It is cozy but the meandering plot line detracted from that coziness. 3 stars for the art alone.
October 13, 2014
An interesting folktale, not my cup of tea, but some readers will enjoy this tale.
December 11, 2014
Five stars because, although my three year old wasn't crazy about it (I think she was a bit young for it, I think she'd rate it a four), I loved the story, and the art was gorgeous.
February 22, 2015
This is a short book that retells the Buddhist-based legend of how we can see rabbit's silhouette on the moon today. Quite a beautiful story!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews