Imani's Moon

K-Gr 3--The cover illustration of a small girl, arms outstretched in front of a perfect full moon, invites readers into this story of determination tinged with magical realism. The scene is set on the title page: straw-covered huts, penned cattle, and flat-topped trees on a hilltop in Africa. Watercolor paintings add vibrant color and clear cultural details, for example, the beaded jewelry and characteristic clothing of the Masai. Imani is the smallest child in her village and a target for teasing. Her mother's nighttime stories of the moon goddess Olapa inspire her to try to touch the moon. Undeterred by children's taunts, Imani fails until she observes "young warriors performing the aduma, the jumping dance. Over and over they jumped high into the sky, their heads caressing the clouds." And so, like a warrior, Imani jumps, higher and higher, until she lands on the moon. That night she is the one who tells a story, "The Tale of the Girl Who Touched the Moon." For readers who want to know more about the Masai, pair this title with Virginia Kroll's Masai and I (Aladdin, 1997).--Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL