Bringing Down the Moon

One night, Mole happens to notice the full moon in the sky and is completely bewitched. He thinks it looks like a beautiful silver coin. And oh, how he would like to clutch that shiny coin tightly in his paw! Little Mole is naive enough to believe he can reach up and pull that moon right down. He hops and he leaps, but the only thing he manages to do is wake up poor Rabbit. Rabbit explains to him that the moon is not as close as it appears, but Mole is unshaken in his quest. He plots to poke the moon down with a long stick, only managing to poke Hedgehog instead. Then he attempts to knock it down with a volley of acorns - beware of Squirrel! Blast, this stubborn moon will not budge! How can something so beautiful be so unattainable? As a last ditch effort, Mole climbs a huge tree in an attempt to get closer. Just as he reaches out his furry arms to grab the moon, he plummets from the tree. Mole's battered friends console him and together they agree the moon is very beautiful, but will never be close enough to touch. This is a sweet story with a cast of furry forest critters. Toddlers will get a great big giggle from watching Mole try to pull the moon down from the sky. Mole is very determined but his friends are equally as patient. This is a bit of a longer story for a board book, which can sometimes be spare with words. A great read when your child is still into board books, but can also enjoy a more involved tale.

We love this book! The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is sweet and just wonderfully written. This became a story that we told our daughter from memory almost every night for months...and we still love it! We can't wait to share it with our son and have given it as a gift to friends.

We first borrowed this book from the library only to love it so much, we got it for ourselves. We've owned it for over two years now, and still, my son often brings up all of mole's attempts at bringing down the moon. We are in love with jonathan emmett's writing. another fav read is his version of "she'll be coming round the mountain"!

I've read my kids hundreds of children's books and this one is by far my favorite (although "Weird Parents" is a fun and close second). It's so beautiful; the illustrations, the soft and fuzzy creatures, the mole's innocent attempts to reach the moon which my own sons have wished to do dozens of times themselves. Warm, sweet, upbeat, loving, gentle, a pleasure for both child and parent; I wish all children's books were as flawless.

"The moon was hanging in the sky above him, like a bright silver coin. Mole thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen." And that is the start of Mole's bittersweet, funny quest to possess the moon. He jumps for, pokes at, throws at and eventually climbs for the moon. But as Rabbit, Hedgehog, and Squirrel tell the little Mole, "It's not as close as it looks." When Mole thinks he has broken the moon, Rabbit, Hedgehog and Squirrel reassure him that the moon is still in the sky, and still beautiful. The soft, enchanting watercolor illustrations underscore the sweetness of the story. It is nighttime, but not dark or foreboding, because the moon makes it seem warm and inviting with the pastel blue sky as a backdrop. Adults may want to smile at Mole's attempts to own the moon, but may also secretly want him to reach it. Preschoolers will probably come up with solutions of their own, and may identify with the small mole's attempts to own the moon. But more importantly, young children will learn that attempting anything is just as rewarding as succeeding. This would make a wonderful story for bedtime.