Lavender Moon is the name of the woman who has served up cherry pie and coffee in a small café to the passengers of the late-night bus for 20 years. As time passes, Lavender Moon begins to yearn for the romantic life of colour and change that her name implies. Luck is with her. The driver of the bus longs to settle down and turn the café into the hardware store of his dreams, so Lavender Moon gets behind the wheel of the bus and travels the roads of freedom and adventure. After a prolonged summer of whirling merry-go-rounds, desert balloon rides, and shimmering lakes, she reaches the ocean and establishes a new life of surfing and painting at the beach. Eventually nostalgic for old experiences, Lavender Moon opens a seafood diner on wheels, fusing the familiar ring and rattle of the cash register with the exhilarating liberty she has come to know. The narrative seems to be an uplifting declaration that even the most tedious existences can be changed – at least in a world where dreams can be realized.

However, it is difficult to imagine Lavender Moon’s fantastic journey really coming to life without the illustrations of Eugenie Fernandes. There is more to the book than life viewed through lavender-coloured spectacles. The unique combination of opaque watercolour, oil pastels, and coloured pencils brings vibrancy to Lavender Moon’s experience. Brushstrokes of colour capture the fluidity of her travels, her curious self set in motion. Through scenery, facial expressions, and the beach paintings, the reader glimpses the changing phases of Lavender Moon.

Teachers and librarians might wish to use this book with older elementary students as an introduction to a unit on fantasy, a variation on the circle story, or as a catalyst for creative writing. Very likely, however, there are other picture books to fill these curriculum niches more completely. Ultimately, Lavender Moon can be best summarized as a “feel-good book.” All collections need a few of these.