THE MOON JUMPERS is a 1960 children's book illustrated by Maurice Sendak and written by Janice May Udry.It was published by HarperCollins. It won the Caldecott Medal for that year. Both Sendak and Udry make a good duo for childrens' books, Udry with her words and Sandek with his whimsical drawing. He goes back and forth throughout the book wit black and white to beautiful color drawings. Maurice Sandek worked on this book four years before winning the same award for his most notable piece of work "Where The Wild Things Are". Printing technology has improved dramatically since the book was first released more than fifty years ago. Now with more color separations, the reproductions of his artwork come closer to the original look. Along with Udry's writing, this book will make you go back in time to when you were a kids playing in a cool summer night.
Plot Summary
editThe book starts with the introduction of sundown on a cool summer night. The moon appears and all the lights in the house turn on. The children of the house step outside to the sound of frogs croaking and owls wooing. The children begin to play tag in their yard running in and out of the house. Using their wild imagination they climb a tree and pretend to be on an island. They sing, dance, play and even cite poems as they tumble over the grass. They then tell scary stories while making ghostly noises under there parents windows. They call themselves the moon jumpers because that is exactly what they do. As the hours pass they follow the moon around the house and jump to try and see who can reach it. Until finally their father comes out for a smoke on his pipe and mother call them in for bed. They wish the moon a goodnight as it game them a full night of fun. As the moon drifts off out of sight from their window they fall asleep with dreams to wake up with the sun.
Artwork
editThe New York Herald Tribune state that it shows how moved Sendak was by Udry's writing since the book did indeed have some of his best works. While the Hornbook addressed that his pictures were the kind to bring you into the book and feel as if you were in the story. They end stating that even grown ups will recall the ecstasy the picture book re-creates.
Awards Received
editWritten in 1960 it has received the following awards:
- 1960 Caldecott Honor Book.