 Hello everyone and Happy Black History Month. My name is Nicole Ballard and I am the president of the African American Heritage Society of Long Beach where we have our resource area located at Burnett Neighborhood Library. I am a mommy to three boys and a wife of 18 years to Ryan Ballard president of the Long Beach Public Library Foundation. Today we are going to read Max and the Tagalong Moon by Floyd Cooper. Are you ready? One night as Max was leaving grandpa's house he reached up to give grandpa a big hug goodbye. In the sky behind grandpa appeared a big fine moon. Look grandpa the moon that old moon will always shine for you on and on. Grandpa and Max gazed quietly at the big moon together as it embraced them in soft yellow light. Max smiled at the moon and grandpa then climbed into the car. Bye bye grandpa. Bye bye moon. As the car pulled away Max kept his eyes on grandpa until he disappeared from sight and all he saw was the moon. Max kept his eyes on that moon waiting for it to disappear too. The long ride home was swervy curvy this way and that all the way and the moon seemed to tag along. Max giggled as he watched the beautiful bright orb flicker through the passing trees trailing behind the car as it traveled home this way and that plain peekaboo. Up a hill down a hill the moon was ever there over a bridge around a curve the moon bounced along around a tree passed a field of sleeping cows the moon stayed quietly with Max. Isn't that such a beautiful scenery? Through a small town with roundabout streets Max gazed as the moon kept up at the mouth of a tunnel and out the other end. Max smiled when he saw the moon there waiting. Dark clouds tumbled across the night sky. The stars and nightingales all faded away. Do you see the moon fading away? Where do you think it's going? Max searched the darkness and wondered where is the moon? Grandpa said it would always shine for me. Finally home Max took one last look up at the empty night sky. I guess that old moon couldn't shine for me all the way home. Where do you think the moon is? Max is looking upstairs in bed. The room was dark. Max felt alone. He missed Grandpa. He missed that tag along moon. Then slowly very slowly Max's bedroom began to fill with a soft yellow glow. The clouds faded away and the moon peeked through. Max gazed up at that magic ball of light and thought about what grandpa said. That old moon will always shine for me on and on. Max knew then that whenever he saw the moon he would think of grandpa on and on and he slept soundly embraced in soft yellow light. The end. Now how did you like that book?