Why Coyote Sings To The Moon

Who needs the moon, anyway? Every evening, Old Woman and the animals gather at the pond to serenade the moon. When Coyote overhears them, he decides that what they really need is a good tenor. Unfortunately, the other animals disagree. Coyote has an atrocious voice, and they worry that his singing will scare the poor moon away! "Hummph," says Coyote, whose feelings are hurt. Why would anyone want to sing to the moon, anyway? In fact, he wonders, who needs the moon at all? All she does is make the sky so bright it's almost impossible to get a good night's sleep. But Moon is listening, and she decides it's time to teach Coyote a lesson. She packs her bags, slides out of the sky and dives into the pond, leaving the animals in utter darkness. When all their efforts fail to entice the Moon to return, Old Woman and the animals concoct one final, desperate scheme to get her back into the sky. Thomas King triumphs again, using the traditional coyote in this brilliant and original tale. Johnny Wales's wry and beautiful illustrations are a perfect complement to King's humourous cautionary tale for children.