Bringing Down the Moon - Hardcover

Emmett, Jonathan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763642673 ISBN 13: 9780763642679

Publisher: Candlewick, 2009

Synopsis

"Tender and delicate. . . . A sweet lesson in not getting what you want, yet getting what you need." — Kirkus Reviews

Mole thinks the moon is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen, and he wants to have it for his own. But as his friends Rabbit, Hedgehog, and Squirrel remind him, some things are not as simple — or as close — as they look! A lyrical text and cozy woodland illustrations portray this mole on a mission with gentle humor and charm.

About this title

About the Author:

Jonathan Emmett intended to end this story with Mole building a tower to the moon, until his three-year-old son, Max, pointed out that it would be far easier for Mole to climb a tree instead. (Max also thinks that Mole would have gotten the moon—if only he had chosen a taller tree.) BRINGING DOWN THE MOON is Jonathan Emmett's first book with Candlewick Press.
Vanessa Cabban has written and illustrated several books for children, including BERTIE AND SMALL AND THE BRAVE SEA JOURNEY and and BERTIE AND SMALL AND THE FAST BIKE RIDE. She is also the illustrator of DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME by Carole Lexa Schaefer. She says, "Mole's story touched me because he takes on an enormous task and triumphs in his own way. I wanted him to be a role model we can all love and relate to."

From Publishers Weekly:

"Hot diggety!" exclaims plump Mole when he sees the full moon for what is apparently the first time. And indeed, the moon is at its most fetching, glowing in the cobalt-blue night sky "like a bright silver coin." Mole spends the balance of the book engaged in sweetly comic attempts to pry the moon out of the sky. His woodland pals try to warn him off the plan, each one pointing out, "It's not as close as it looks." But that doesn't stop Mole from trying to leap for it, poke it, knock it down with acorns or simply grab it from a high tree branch. Finally, it dawns on him: the moon's beauty lies in the fact that everyone can enjoy it (and besides, Mole now notes sagely, "It's NOT as close as it looks!"). Author and artist seem ideally paired for this well-traveled but sweet tale. In Emmett's unadorned, gentle prose, Mole never seems the least bit avaricious he's just genuinely enchanted by the moon's ethereal beauty. As was true in her Down in the Woods at Sleepytime, Cabban's creatures radiate genuine affection for one another. Keeping the detailing in her settings to a minimum there's just enough to provide a proper stage for Mole's pratfalls Cabban lets the luminescence of the sky and moon hold center stage. It's easy to see why Mole is so thoroughly captivated. Ages 3-6.

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About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0763642673
• ISBN 13: 9780763642679
• Binding: Board book
• Number of pages: 24
• Illustrator: Cabban Vanessa