Around the Sun and over the Moon

A sweet book about having to say goodbye and seeing each other again soon. For children ages 4 years and up.Every morning, Mama gives Pete the tightest hug before school. She tells him, “Around the sun and over the moon, I’ll come back. I’ll come back soon.” Pete plays with his friends, enjoys the playground, and even takes a nap. When it’s time to go home, Pete worries because Mama hasn’t arrived yet. He clings to the words his Mama told him as he patiently waits.

"This is just achingly sweet. Pete goes happily off to preschool, knowing that his mother will be back soon to get him. As the afternoon stretches on she's a little late, other kids leave with their caregivers, and Pete gets a bit anxious while waiting, but reassures himself of his mother's promise until they are joyfully reunited. The illustrations are just gorgeous. Pete, in perfectly childlike fashion, notices something distinct about each of his friends' caregivers. Young readers will enjoy those details, along with the soothing echoes of repetition in the text. This would work equally well in circle time, small groups, and as an individual read. I can't wait to read it to my pre-K classes and would definitely recommend it for school, classroom, and individual libraries. This is a wonderfully comforting book to discuss the topic of separating from caregivers and how to self-soothe when feeling worried." - BookWorks "There's no doubt about it, some families will adopt the tiny bit of verse the mother and child use with each other in this picture book. Mother leaves son at school, promising to be back in due course, but there's always an anxiety in parting at that age, especially when mother gets held up picking you up from the school gates. This is an attractive way of getting to the core of the issue of absentee parents, even if it's for just hours in a day, let alone overnight business trips, etc. An appealing, reassuring little volume, and a successful one." - The Book Bag

Ann Harrell believes in the power of story. As a licensed counselor, she listens to stories; as a certified dance therapist, she expresses stories through movement; and as a children’s author, she creates stories. Ann writes picture books that relate to a child’s social-emotional voice. Some of her stories reflect her upbringing in Turkey. Ann lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband and two dogs. When she’s not writing, she enjoys family time, dancing, and taking walks with her golden retriever, rescued from the streets of Turkey.Linda Heijnekamp is a Dutch children's book illustrator. She lives and works in her hometown Veenendaal. Her illustrations range from dreamy watercolors to fun pen drawings.