Night of the Moonjellies

Night of the Moonjellies (Simon & Schuster 1992) is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Mark Shasha.

Night of the Moonjellies
Purple House Press, 2007 (edition displayed)
AuthorMark Shasha
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature
PublisherSimon & Schuster
Publication date
1992
ISBN978-1930900349

The book was inspired by the author's memories of working at his grandmother's hot dog stand by the sea in New London, Connecticut in the 1970s. It features the warm relationship between the main character, a boy of 7 years old, and his grandmother, along with the hustle and bustle of the busy day at the hot dog stand.

Night of the Moonjellies also features a small, jelly-like creature found in the North Atlantic called a moonjelly. Also commonly known as a comb jelly this animal is capable of bioluminescence. Its scientific name is ctenophore (pronounced 'tee-ne-for').

The book won a Marion Vannett Ridgway Award, is featured in many educational programs and has been reprinted in several editions. In its review Smithsonian Magazine said it "was sure to become a classic."1 Mark Shasha's artwork from "Night of the Moonjellies" has been exhibited in several museums and galleries since 1992.

Singer/songwriter Steve Elci has expressed interest in creating the score should the book ever be made into a film.2

References
  • "Something About the Author", volume 83, Mark Shasha, pp. 202–203. Gale Pub.1993
  • "Five in a Row" Book List, Volume 1
  • Moonjellies Educational Projects at "Spell it Out Loud"
  • Moonjellies reprints
  • 1Smithsonian Magazine, 1992, Nov. p. 42
  • 2 Steve Elci Dreams of Moonjellies, "The New London Day", Grace Section, May 15,2014
  • Salem News, "The Pages of Children's Books Fill Marblehead Museum", by Matthew K. Roy, Feb. 2, 2006
  • "Shasha's work evokes the pre-Raphaelites...windows into a world full of detail" - The New York Times, Vivien Raynor, "Dancing Fairies, Cavorting Pigs: Illustrations for Children’s Books" August 8, 1993, p. 16
  • Lyman Allyn Museum of Art, Exhibition directory, New London, CT. 1992
  • The Maritime Museum – “Moonjellies and Daydreams - The Art of Mark Shasha” - New London, CT - July-August-Sept 2012
  • Publisher’s Weekly, Jun 6, 1996, p. 64
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