Eclipse

August 15, 2023
A total solar eclipse brings a father and son closer together. After learning in school about the eclipse's impending arrival, a curious young boy excitedly figures out the best time and place to see it. His father agrees to transport him to the woods to view the eclipse, and the child describes everything that happens at various points--two months before the eclipse, then a month, a week, a day, an hour, a minute, and the exciting second before the sun slips behind the moon. Time seems to stand still, and the creatures in the woods are baffled by what appears to be an early nightfall. Then the countdown begins again, with the boy describing what happens after the eclipse--one second, one minute, one hour, one day, one year, and even longer. The moment has become a shared memory that enhances the bond between father and son and inspires future eclipse-chasing expeditions. Based on the author's actual experience with his own son in 2017, this picture book features lively, child-friendly digital artwork filled with scenes of nature, matter-of-fact text that acknowledges the awesomeness of this rare phenomenon, and useful maps that chart the solar eclipse of 2017 and projected paths for future eclipses. Father and son are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Sure to have readers booking their own trips to catch the next brief but memorable solar eclipse. (more information on eclipses) (Picture book. 4-8)

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Starred review from September 18, 2023
Rash combines bold cartooning with countdown-style storytelling in this meaningfully starry-eyed view of an eclipse. “Two months ago, I learned there would be a total solar eclipse,” begins the title’s child narrator, raising a hand excitedly from the back of the classroom; “A month ago, I picked out the perfect place and time to watch.” The child next chalks an ambitious map on the school playground, rendering the eclipse’s path of totality a ribbon across it. As the eclipse nears, the protagonist orders dark glasses for viewing the event, heads with their father to a campsite, and hurries to the chosen spot. Now, the eclipse starts, and finally, as the duo view its effects on nature, “We are in the perfect place at the perfect time.” Afterward (“an hour from now... a day from now...”), the future stretches promisingly outward. It’s a breathtakingly moment-by-moment story about looking forward to, experiencing, and reminiscing about, a singular occasion—and more to come. Ages 4–8.