One Round Moon and a Star for Me

by Ingrid Mennen

A young African boy watches a shooting star falling for his Mama's new baby. The whole village comes together to provide gifts for mother and child. But when he sees his papa smiling at the baby's tiny hands which are just like Papa's own hands, his heart grows dark, like a night with no moon. At last he asks, "Papa, are you really my Papa too?" Set against the backdrop of a rural South African village, Mennen's lyrical text coupled with Daly's evocative illustrations are filled with light and darkness; friendship and community spirit; love and hope, telling the universal story of a young boy's journey to discover his own place in the world..

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[Marilyn]

Alissa loves the page with the newborn baby nursing. She loves the moon too.

[Roger]

Interesting customs in a southern African village and a young boy’s question for his father following the birth of his baby brother or sister.

[Dixie]

A very sweet story, and a glimpse of Lesotho life.

[Anne with Violets]

A child's mind as clear as the full moon.

[Kit]

I really liked how this book handled the older sibling's fear of replacement. In a lot of books, the older sibling shows hostility towards the child or they name the fear very explicitly to the point where I worry that by reading the book to my daughter, I am teaching her that part of becoming a big sibling is jealousy or fear. In this book, though, it just has the boy ask if his father is his father, too, and the father reassures him. I also appreciated the pictures where the new baby is worn in a soft carrier and nursed.

I did pick the book, though, with the explicit intention of using it to help prepare my daughter for the upcoming arrival of a sibling. The book shows very little of the relationship between the siblings.

[Kristin H.]

A nice book about a boy who is about to have a baby brother. He is very excited until the baby arrives. He loves his new brother, but he feels like his dad is not paying the same attention to him. In the end his dad spends time with him and he is okay. I would recommend for k-4