Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me

Carle, whose The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been extraordinarily successful, scores again with this stunning picture book, drawn in thick, brilliant brushstrokes of blues and greens and reds that dazzle the eye. Monica wants to play with the moon, but can't reach it, so she asks her father to get it for her. Ingeniously designed with several fold-out pages, the books opens out horizontally to show a very long ladder Papa fetches, opens vertically to show him climbing the ladder above a very high mountain, and unfolds into a huge spread of the full moon, where the ladder has led Papa. But the moon is too big for him to carry, so he waits while it grows smaller, until finally it is the right size to bring home to Monica. She jumps and dances and frolics with it, but it keeps shrinking, until one day it's gone. But not for long: a thin sliver soon appears in the sky, growing larger and becoming full once again. A splendid introduction to the monthly lunar cycle, this is also a wondrous work of art that will stand up to countless readings. (All ages)

Copyright 1986 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1 A simple story, briefly told, which revolves around the waxing and waning of the moon. Monica asks Papa to bring her the moon, that she might play with it. By dint of "a very long ladder" and a mountain, Papa reaches the moon, waits until it becomes smaller, and obligingly retrieves it. Of course the moon continues to shrink and soon disappears, but a few nights later Monica sees it once again in the sky, where it begins to grow anew. Many of the pages fold out to double their size, which will delight young listeners but may be awkward for the storyteller during a group experience. Carle's illustrations are up to his usual excellence, bright and uncluttered, with the benignant moon a dominant feature. The flaw here is a weak ending; children are not exactly left hanging, but neither is there a strong sense of conclusion. While this is not a pourquoi tale in the true sense of the word, the changing moon is a familiar subject, and the illustrations have enough merit to attract children. Kathleen Brachmann, Highland Park Public Library, Ill.

Copyright 1986 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.