A Garment for the Moon

A centuries-long line of female story keepers in Shonaleigh's family lovingly passed thousands of intricately interconnected story cycles through generations, from grandmother to granddaughter, in the Yiddish oral tradition of the Drut’syla.

A Garment for the Moon is Shonaleigh's first-ever written collection of a select few of her bubba's tales, which includes eighteen of her favorite stories. Twelve of these are beautifully illustrated by artist Katherine Soutar. These are fabulous wonder tales with names like: The Clever Girl, Avram and the Fireflies, The Cloud Sheep, The Worms' Complaint, The Dandelion Dancer, Prince Cockerel and Ashmedai's Melting Bride.

The wisdom tales in A Garment for the Moon feature strong and clever characters. Shonaleigh has chosen this collection especially to strengthen and inspire young readers. The stories show how to be practical and strong, that it is good to be alive and that we must never forget how to dream. People of all ages will fall under their spell.

More about Shonaleigh's storytelling tradition

All images copyright Katherine Soutar, 2026

Praise for A Garment for the Moon:

After reading the last enchanting words of the first tale in A Garment for the Moon, I burst out laughing!

Do you know why little children with two really deep lines under their noses are the ones who grow up to be the storytellers?

Neither did I ...

Given the sheer range in time and geography of the Jewish Diaspora, you may well have come across elements of some of these tales in other European, Middle Eastern and North African collections - the moon's jealousy of the sun's light, the three daughters, the wise fool.

And that's one of the delights of the folktale tradition: meeting the familiar in unfamiliar clothing and, as one story leads to the next, entering deeper waters.

But the greatest delight lies in knowing you're listening to or reading a born storyteller. Drawing on the family store she heard in childhood (largely from Dutch and British sources), Shonaleigh spellbound many, many devoted listeners online during the COVID curfew with her immediacy, her sense of humour, her relish for human foibles, her juxtaposition of secular and sacred and, yes, her sheer wisdom.

Katherine Soutar's illustrations have about them a certain shining stillness that transcends time, and the eyes of her characters look straight back at you - no one more so than her unforgettable Monster.

But let me give the last word to Shonaleigh. The Creator - he, she, they? She decides from story to story as she goes along!

~ Kevin Crossley-Holland

A Garment for the Moon is a warming collection of stories, with threads that tug at memories of stories known for generations, woven together to create a unique new collection. It is a journey back in time, and a fresh look forwards into the future. May we learn, like the townsfolk terrified of a mysterious monster, to only take what we need from the world.

~ Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers

Shonaleigh’s A Garment for the Moon shimmers with the pulse of Jewish folklore carried forward in a living, breathing voice. Drawing on the drut’syla tradition inherited from her Bubbe, she threads mystical imagery, moral wit, and centuries-old wisdom through storytelling that feels utterly present. She moves in and out of the narrative with that familiar promise – “another story for another time” – a rhythmic gesture that draws the listener close, as though she’s telling the tale just for you.

Her language bounces between contemporary spark and the deep cadences of oral tradition, creating a tapestry where ancient Jewish myth meets modern sensibility. I found myself pausing often simply to savour the craft of it, the way she folds humour, heart, and heritage so gracefully together. Through it all, her grandmother’s soul seems to hover warmly over every page: wise, playful, and joyously alive.

~ Shahrukh Husain

Shonaleigh is a master drut’syla, who carries the oral Jewish storytelling tradition passed down from her Bubbe’s lips.

Upon reading the stories in A Garment for the Moon, I was able to hear Shonaleigh’s storytelling voice coming through the printed words, in the same manner as I first heard these tales told online in ‘Twilight Tales’.

The stories are filled with wisdom, humour, dilemmas, quests and challenges that hold universal appeal for the reader. Each story has been artfully illustrated to capture a glimpse into the tale by the talented Katherine Soutar.

This book is a beautiful collection of timeless tales that any child will be able to grow with as a listener and later on as a reader. It is truly a treasure to be passed down from one generation to another, as the stories were intended.

~ Selina Eisenberg