"Full moons come,/full moons go,/softening nights/with their silver glow./They pass in silence,/all untamed,/but as they travel,/they are named." Native Americans named each full moon after a special characteristic that the month brought. For instance, January was the Wolf Moon, because they believed wolves became restless in January, May was the Flower Moon, because that is when many flowers bloom, and October was the Hunter's Moon, because the moon rises early adding to the light of the setting sun and giving hunters extra time to hunt. Penny Pollack and Mary Azarian have authored a beautiful yearful of poetry, detailing the wonders and glories of the moon. Ms Pollacks gentle, quiet, original verses are eloquent and lyrical, and include the name of the month, the unique Native American moon name, and a simple explanation of the moon name. Ms Azarian's hand-painted woodcut illustrations of gorgeous nature scenes bathed in moonlight are evocative and offer a feast for the eyes. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, When The Moon Is Full includes an informative and entertaining two page spread of questions and answers about the moon, and is a lovely bedtime book the entire family can share and enjoy together.

This is a beautiful, evocative book with a great deal of heart. It is perfect for reading aloud, bedtime, or learning about the natural world around us (especially the moon!). Penny Pollock's beautifully rendered poems and Mary Azarian's exquisite paintings combine flawlessly to make this book a true gem.

I love this book! I borrowed from the lirbrary. I was sorry when I had to return it. Mary Lou(nicknamed "Wisconsin")went to a new school, and nobody knew about her hearing aid. She hated almost everything about school, from the spelling bees to mean Jason. It was not until Field Day that she learned everyone knew about her hearing aid!

Many professional and lay people have given this a positive review, but my study of the book reveals it strays significantly from the way the Zuni people tell this story. While it may be poetic and well written to an uninformed eye, it fails miserably to convey the values and concepts within Zuni culture. As such, it cannot be used in a unit that teaches children about Zuni people.

This wonderfully evocative retelling of the Cinderella tale has a very different spin, giving the reader much more to think about than the more familiar version. It will make you reflect on your own integrity and will leave you with a clearer understanding of just how much your actions influence your future. Very powerful.

Turkey Girl is one of the finest versions of the Cinderella Story to use in your fairy tale and Native American curriculumns. I use Turkey Girl when reading in school classrooms and in my public library, and the children love to hear a story where there are consequences to one's actions. Too many fairy tales rely on the "happy ever after" ending, when everyone knows that if you break a promise, there are consequences to it. This book leads to lots of good discussion about promises and consequences and can be used with children from first through fourth grade. Penny Pollock writes beautifully as always.