- little girl, Sam, has a reckless habit of lying, and even her cat, Bangs, knows it
- when a friend believes her lies to the point of endangering his life, Sam is humbled and learns how to use her imagination more wisely
- convo: mentions Sam’s mother is dead
Type: picture book
Ages: 3+
Author: Evaline Ness
Moonshine: empty talk or nonsense
Young listeners to this classic picture book will, at first, have the opposite example of living honorably with truth telling. It is very obvious–and parents can make it even more so with voice inflection–what are lies.
Unfortunately, one little boy believes every word Sam says and finds himself stuck out on an island about to be covered by a storm. When she tells her father the truth so he can save him, she has a lot of time to consider her actions. It weighs heavily on her, and, with her father’s instructions to think about what’s real versus what’s moonshine, she begins a new leaf.
“There’s good moonshine and bad moonshine. The important thing is to know the difference.”
Ness does an absolutely beautiful job at telling this story. It’s gentle for young ages and poignant for older. Plus, it doesn’t squash Sam’s vivid imagination. When she better learns to distinguish between lies and truth, she can still pretend her ideas, such as the porch rug being her chariot drawn by dragons. I really hope you can find a copy!