Ladder to the Moon
Published by Candlewick Press
Hardcover | Pages: 48
Size: 9.79 x 0.18 x 11.34 Inch | USD: $15.79
ISBN: 9780763693435
Age: 4-8
ABOUT THE BOOK
From Maya Soetoro-Ng, sister of President Obama, comes a lyrical story relaying the loving wisdom of their late mother to a young granddaughter she never met.
Little Suhaila wishes she could have known her grandma, who would wrap her arms around the whole world if she could, Mama says. And one night, Suhaila gets her wish when a golden ladder appears at her window, and Grandma Annie invites the girl to come along with her on a magical journey. In a rich and deeply personal narrative, Maya Soetoro-Ng draws inspiration from her mother’s love for family, her empathy for others, and her ethic of service to imagine this remarkable meeting. Evoking fantasy and folklore, the story touches on events that have affected people across the world in our time and reaffirms our common humanity. Yuyi Morales’s breathtaking artwork illuminates the dreamlike tale, reminding us that loved ones lost are always with us, and that sometimes we need only look at the moon and remember.
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Awards
- Cybils Awards, 2011, Nominee, Fiction Picture Book
Nautilus Book Award, 2012, Gold, Children’s Picture Book Fiction
Booklist Book Review Stars, 2011
Building STEAM with Dia, 2014 Information in English and Chinese
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, 2011
★★★ Reviews ★★★
★ “A lush, haunting story that brings together a grandmother and her grandchild. . . . Soetoro-Ng, maternal half-sister of Barack Obama, has written this story of compassion as a tribute to their mother.” —Booklist (starred review)
★ “A vision of divine love, a love incarnated in a warm, round, brown-skinned grandmother….Nontraditional spiritual literature for children often falters in the execution; this work fulfills its promise” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
★ “Creation stories, mythology, and legends come together in a story incorporating themes of human struggle, community, and faith. Morales’ stunning digitally manipulated acrylic drawings, showcasing strong yet loving women, have a dream-like quality and do an outstanding job of depicting a caring, culturally diverse world.” —Library Media Connection (starred review)
★ “Beautiful, luminous paintings, with soft edges and gently rounded figures” —Kirkus Reveiws
★ “From a place of bittersweet longing, Maya Soetoro-Ng writes an introspective children’s book that inspires all ages. What we find in Ladder to the Moon are epic images and inescapable stories that connect us through inevitable loss and spiritual understanding.” —Honolulu Weekly