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A review by azuki
Almost a Full Moon by Jensine Eckwall, Hawksley Workman
3.0
The concept of this book, and its illustrations, are beautiful -- on a frosty night, a grandmother and child prepare to welcome neighbors and strangers alike with a cauldron of soup. Belonging, generosity, and the connective power of sharing food and home are warmly portrayed, as are the magical creatures that accompany some of the white protagonists' multi-racial guests.
Workman's narrative is told through the lyrics of his song by the same title, and its most tender verse is also its most disappointing. "We'll make enough to feed everyone we know / We'll make enough to feed everyone we don't" (two lines that moved me) is followed directly by "No one is different, everyone's alone." Given that this story centers around white characters, this line strikes me as the "colorblind" brand of multiculturalism that pretends that difference does not exist... a stance that obscures the normativity and "default" of whiteness. What if the line had read, "Everyone is different, no one is alone"? For readers of color, this sends a much different message.
Workman's narrative is told through the lyrics of his song by the same title, and its most tender verse is also its most disappointing. "We'll make enough to feed everyone we know / We'll make enough to feed everyone we don't" (two lines that moved me) is followed directly by "No one is different, everyone's alone." Given that this story centers around white characters, this line strikes me as the "colorblind" brand of multiculturalism that pretends that difference does not exist... a stance that obscures the normativity and "default" of whiteness. What if the line had read, "Everyone is different, no one is alone"? For readers of color, this sends a much different message.