Happy Birthday, Moon

I have the original printing of this book that my mom bought for me when I was little and I still read it to this day just for sheer enjoyment. This is the perfect book for toddlers (I read it to my little brother when he was very young and he loved it!) I considered giving away my copy as a gift to a friend of mind who is having a baby soon and I decided to buy her her own copy because I couldn't bear to part with mine. This is a book to pass down definitely!

My son just had his fifth birthday party and the theme was PJ Party - a pretend sleepover. I was excited to find this book, which fit into both the birthday theme and the "moon" theme (he had a moon cake with star cookies). The book kept the attention of all the children (including my younger 1 year old). What a great, heart warming story that the adults at the party enjoyed just as much as the chidren!

If all books could leave you with such a "warm and fuzzy" feeling in your heart! I'd like to comment on "Happy Birthday, Moon" by Frank Asch. A little bear wants to give the moon a birthday present, but before he does, he needs to find out what the moon wants. He then makes the journey across the river, hikes through the woods, and up into the mountains. The little bear feels that the closer he is to the moon, the better the moon can hear him. The little bear begins to talk with the moon by interpreting the moon's response through his own echo. Eventually, he buys the moon a hat, because that's what the little bear said he wanted...(so of course, that's what the moon wanted too!) This adorable children's fantasy is beautifully illustrated using simple illustrations with soft, rounded edges. The illustrations are accurate and correspond nicely with the content of the story. The calm mood of the night time is warmly displayed throughout the story. This book enhances the characterizations and avoids stereotypes of race and sex. I think this book should be read to children of all ages because it's theme is appealing and extremely worthwhile. It shows you about friendship, sharing, caring, forgiveness, and how making an effort to make someone else happy, can make you just as happy! I feel the author's style is very appropriate for children aged from zero to ...well...thirty-two! I'm still a kid a heart and absolutely loved it! I'm also a future teacher and love the content of this heartfelt story. This book fulfills a beautiful harmony of text, illustration, format and typography. I'm sure anyone would truly enjoy this wonderful little book about friendship, selflessness and love.

As a future teacher who will have to face young children who are a lot more advanced (technologically, mentally, emotionally, and in many other respects) than I was this book offers me a feeling of comfort. A feeling that some innocene is still alive. Bears innocence is refreshing as well as delighting, and amusing. As many times as he speaks to the moon he never realizes that the moons voice sounds a lot like his. The voice that he hears, and that speaks to him uses all of the exact words that he uses. However, it never occurs to him that it is his own. His desire to make a new friend and please that friend is all he wants and although he may believe he found such a friend in the moon, he actually found it within himself. I feel that this book shows various qualities such as, forgiveness(when the hats are lost), caring(the giving of the presents), determination(bear traveling some distance until he is finally able to converse with the moon), and many more that I would like to help build in my children.

This is a simple but wonderful birthday book for all of us. Unlike other books that try to teach a lesson about sharing or the joys of giving to counteract a child's normal birthday euphoria, this one imparts Bear's pure joy in selecting and giving a gift. Then when it disappears along with the gift he received, his joy lingers...along with ours...and we all understand the greatest gift is the feeling we are left with when we share our love.