Parents' Guide to Moonlight: The Halloween Cat

Moonlight: The Halloween Cat Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Darienne Stewart By Darienne Stewart , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 2+

Cozy, scare-free love letter to Halloween night.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 2+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 2+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 2+

Based on 1 kid review

What's the Story?

Moonlight the cat happily explores her rural neighborhood on her favorite night of the year. She’s a quiet presence, observing and enjoying trick-or-treaters, glowing pumpkins, nighttime animals, and the stars overhead.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 2 ):
Kids say ( 1 ):

Cynthia Rylant and Melissa Sweet take the mystery cloaking Halloween night and pad it warmly in this atmospheric book, a re-release of the hardcover edition published in 2003. They evoke quiet and stillness as Moonlight wanders through the night, savoring the sights. Rylant’s gentle prose encourages children to see the nighttime world with curiosity rather than fear.

Sweet’s illustrations, done in acrylic and colored pencil, are saturated with deep color. Each page brings a new perspective and just enough detail to enchant preschoolers. There are shadows in this Halloween night, but always there’s the warm, inviting glow from windows and jack o’lanterns.

Vibrant artwork depicts a magical night.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about perspective. This book looks at Halloween through a cat’s eyes. How do you think a dog or an owl might view the holiday?

  • What do you enjoy about nighttime?

  • What do you like about Halloween?

Book Details

  • Author : Cynthia Rylant
  • Illustrator : Melissa Sweet
  • Genre : Holiday
  • Book type : Fiction
  • Publisher : HarperTrophy
  • Publication date : July 28, 2009
  • Publisher's recommended age(s) : 2 - 5
  • Number of pages : 32
  • Last updated : November 11, 2020

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Moonlight: The Halloween Cat Poster Image

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