Red Knit Cap Girl's eponymous headwear makes her look like an acorn or a mushroom-right at home in her forest surroundings. She longs to talk to the Moon, and Mr. Owl (whose golden, glowing eyes burning in his dark lair give the story its only tense moment) offers sage advice: "The Moon is too far to reach, but if you want, she will bend down to listen to you." Red Knit Cap Girl enlists the help of a bear, a squirrel, and a hedgehog to carry out her plan to draw the Moon close. In Stoop's first picture book, she paints on plywood, and the wood grain background gives each spread a gentle, wavelike feel and a luxurious sense of texture; subtly graduated hues provide quiet drama. Stoop delivers the message about ingenuity and cooperation in human, not abstract, terms: "You have made it dark enough to see me and quiet enough to hear me," says the Moon when she appears. It's a successful ensemble piece, gorgeously illustrated, in which each character has a part to play. Ages 3-6. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Red Knit Cap Girl is vaguely visually reminiscent of Nick Bruna's rabbit Miffy, with her bulbous, rounded head and pin-dot black eyes. Pair this similarity with a universal children's theme the girl is trying to reach the moon and you've got a book that feels soothingly familiar. Red Knit Cap Girl desperately wishes to get close enough to Moon to talk to her, and with help from her woodland friends, including owl (who appears as two eye-slits of light in the darkness), she hatches a plan. The text is simple and thoughtful, almost meditative, but it's the charming artwork that runs away with the show. Using acrylic, ink, and pencil on plywood, Stoop gives great texture to her forest landscapes and plays beautifully with color to depict time of day. Young children will be most drawn to the little girl and her animal friends, which are so round and cute that kids will want them for their very own.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist

Red Knit Cap Girl wants to talk to the moon, even throwing a party for her, but only when the lights go out and quiet falls does it appear.The big-booted, mushroom-headed girl's bulbous silhouette, mute, mouth-less face and dotted eyes feel familiar, even though her proportions look downright strange. A crimson hat and smart jacket pop against shadowed woodlands, friendly and bright. Animal buddies (Rabbit, Bear, Squirrel and Hedgehog) help with her moon-chat mission, their kind beady eyes shining and stubby bodies playful. When Red Knit Cap Girl approaches a mystic night owl who might know how to draw the moon into a conversation, readers will bristle with interest. The owl, his eyes like embers, says enigmatically, "You will find a way." A plywood canvas creates a fantastically pliant, otherworldly atmosphere that undulates with shifting perspectives, horizons, dimensionseven surfaces. Once painted, the wood's grain assumes the look of clouds, sand, water, grass, mist, creating a bewitching forest that feels at times magical and others spooky. Nocturnal hues (dusky yellows and reds, darkening greens and ultimately a blackening blue) transport readers to nightfall and the moon's imminent arrival. Young readers might pleasantly puzzle over the moon's need for dark and silence, for peace, in order to show herself and whisper with Red Knit Cap Girl. A gentle Zen-like parable, with visual and narrative intrigue. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1-A little girl dressed in a red knit cap enjoys exploring the natural world with her friend White Bunny and yearns to talk to the Moon. So Red Knit Cap Girl and her forest friends stage a celebration complete with handmade paper lanterns and wait for it to come out. When a stray gust of wind blows out a lantern, a star pops out in the sky and the girl and her friends realize what they must do: blow out all the lanterns and sit silently. Indeed, the Moon appears and says, "You have made it dark enough to see me and quiet enough to hear me, Red Knit Cap Girl." This gentle tale of how to appreciate the wonders of the natural world quietly and simply is augmented by the use of wood grain as the medium on which the acrylic, ink, and pencil illustrations are drawn. The artist uses a broad spectrum of soft, seamlessly melded background colors that serve as effective counterpoints to the Red Knit Cap Girl (whose minimalist facial features recall a Joan Walsh Anglund character). An apt choice for bedtime reading, this story affirms the necessity of turning off the light and noise of our busy world to truly recognize the everyday marvels around us.-Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Red Knit Cap Girl, who lives in the forest with her animal friends, longs to talk to the moon. As she attempts to reach it (e.g., she climbs a tree), her naiveti seems contrived, which makes it hard to get behind her plight. The plywood on which Stoop cunningly paints and draws creates impressions of ripples, wind, and clouds. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.