Carroll’s first picture-book effort uses a dreamy, softened palette and swirly, curved movement to convey the silvery magic of a moonlit evening. Collage effects—in the craggy surface of the moon and the siding of a house, for instance—lend dimensional texture. The overall mood is one of whimsy and wonder as a small boy in star-embellished pajamas, accompanied by a bevy of small companions (dog, owl, flower, rabbit, toad, and chicken), sashays outside for a nighttime romp. When the moon gets itself caught in the branches of an apple tree, no one but the boy is brave enough, or tree-climbing-capable enough, to help out. Still, he is unable to budge the moon. But then the child has an ingenious idea, “a delicious thought, a bright, ripe, red thought.” He feeds the moon the tree’s fruit until the moon grows big, fat and round, and can be rolled free. The satisfying sense of accomplishment portrayed will give small readers a subtle feeling of confidence. A unique addition to bedtime collections. Preschool-Kindergarten.