"William and the Christmas Moon"

December 24, 2009 Eve to watch for Santa Claus. While staring into the landscape from his bedroom window, he takes a visual journey through the moonlit grounds where he and his grandfather spend their days exploring. He then falls asleep and dreams of a flight in his own grandfather's sleigh, where "wrapped in sheets of soft moonlight, William glimpsed his gifts that night." William's description of these gifts - his newfound appreciation of the moonlight and their time spent in the stark winter landscapes –in turn become his grandfather's most treasured Christmas gift.

William and the Christmas Moon, a winner of the 2001 New England Book Show and "Champion" of the XIII Annual Hong-Kong Print Awards has sold over 25,000 copies. It is Robison's second shadow book; the first is another fantasy tale, William and the Magic Ring. A 1999 Booklist "Pick of the List," it is now in its fifth printing with over 80,000 copies sold. In William and the Magic Ring, the young boy watches the shadows cast by tree branches outside of his window. A crow then lands on one of the branches of the tree, displaying a ring that empowers him to rule the animal kingdom. When a jackal tries to wrestle the ring away from the bird, chaos ensues. William then bravely attempts to intervene, creating a surprise ending that enables him to understand and overcome his fear of the darkness.

Robinson' shadow books were previously only available through Boston's Museum of Fine Arts Robinson moved from East Coast to Chicago about a year ago and both books are now carried exclusively in the Chicago-area at Sawbridge Studios, in Chicago and Winnetka. The original illustrations from both books have been recently been acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Having appeared on both the front and back covers of the MFA's mail-order catalogue, these best sellers have become two of the museum's most beloved children's books. William and the Christmas Moon and William and the Magic Ring are available at Sawbridge Studios, 153 W. Ohio St., Chicago; 312-828-0055, and 1015 Tower Road, Winnetka; 847-441-2441 and on Sawbridge Studios website, www.sawbridge.com. Each book retails for $25.

About the Author

Laura Robinson is the author and illustrator of William and the Magic Ring and William and the Christmas Moon. She is working a new book, Dragon of the Wind, the story of a kayak that she designed and built with her son; and a series of books that introduce children to the interaction between geometry, mathematics, music and art.

Robinson joined the part-time faculty of Rhode Island School of Design (Department of Architecture) in 1991. She was previously the Director of Education of the Boston Architectural Center. Robinson is a graduate of Princeton University (BSE, Civil Engineering) and the Harvard Graduate School of Design (Master of Architecture). She currently lives on the North Shore with her husband and two sons.