"Junique McKay's lovely book is invaluable to a young child who is trying to understand feelings that arise in him in the midst of his parents' divorce. Having a wonderfully nostalgic and vintage air of early children's books, the illustrations are complex and beautifully rendered and are sensitive enough for a young child to fully appreciate."
--Ronnie Brenner, retired LCSW, BCD
Love Is Like the Moon speaks from the heart of Grandma to the heart of a young child, directly addressing the fears and feelings of guilt that underlie the sadness a five- to eight-year-old typically feels when parents are divorcing.
Grandma finds five-year-old Vincent standing at his window one night when he should be asleep. He is looking for a really big star to make a really big wish: that his Mommy and Daddy will stay together. As she comforts him, Grandma learns that Vincent is afraid that Mommy and Daddy could fall out of love with him one day, and then what would happen? With wisdom and patience, Grandma gently explains how parents always have love for their children--and for one another, too, even when a divorce occurs. After all, love is like the moon: we can't always see her, but she is always in the sky.
In a culture where the nuclear family can fall into a wobbly rotation, it is the wisdom, stability, and maturity of a grandmother that often makes her the rock to which young ones can cling. While divorcing parents are dealing with their own pain and challenges, Grandma frequently remains a calm voice of reason during the family crisis that is divorce. Baby Boomer grandmothers witnessing these upsetting effects may find solace in a story like this one to read and share with their young grandchildren. The sweet poem at the end offers Grandma's love imprinted on the child every time he looks into the sky.
The goal of Love Is Like the Moon is to facilitate the open expression of children's uncertain feelings and release the energy associated with them--feelings that must "go" somewhere. "Up" and "out" are always preferable to suppresion, and this book encourages getting the feelings out so that healing may begin.
