Book Review: The Moon Singer
The Moon Singer by Clyde Robert Bulla (Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman) has been one of my favorite books for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it is because the main character is a singer, and I also love to sing. It could also be the theme of an outsider finding a place to belong, which is a desire that many people can identify with. Whatever the reason, this book gets to me on a visceral level. And that’s pretty amazing for a picture book that doesn’t even have page numbers. Torr was left with the Miller and his wife one night when he was quite small. Grudgingly they took him in, and as he grew he would often go out and spend hours under the night sky. One summer night, the Miller and his wife were awakened by Torr singing a song to the moon. Afraid that he would wake the whole village, they punished him. After that, he went deep into the woods to sing his songs. One day, the Queen heard about Torr’s beautiful voice, but even then things did not go smoothly.
So, it has a nice satisfying storyline, complete with conflict. Trina Schart Hyman’s art is quite distinctive (yes, you’ve seen it before, even if you don’t know it.) and is so perfect for this story. I have included another picture at the bottom of this post to give you a better idea of what I’m talking about. Sadly, it appears that this wonderful book is out of print, so you may need to hunt a bit to find a copy to read. Hopefully your local library or used book-seller can help you out there. Make the effort, and hopefully The Moon Singer will sing for you too.