Moon Rope/Un lazo a la luna

Fox wants to go to the moon. Mole does not—at least not until he hears about the huge worms waiting up there for him to eat. So the two of them set off on their adventure, with a little help from a rope of grass and their friends the birds. The bilingual text and bold art showcase Lois Ehlert at her captivating best.

An adaptation of the Peruvian folktale in which Fox and Mole try to climb to the moon on a rope woven of grass.

A Peruvian folktale told in Spanish and English

Publishers Weekly

In this imaginative take on an ancient Peruvian tale, Fox persuades Mole to climb with him on a grass rope he has braided and--with the birds' help--hitched to the moon. Fox trains his sight upward and is not seen again except by the birds, who claim they can spy him in the moon still. Mole, nervously looking downward, falls; the birds carry him back to earth amid the jeers of the other animals, and to this day he prefers his solitary tunnel. Simple though it is, this retelling emphasizes its timelessness as a story: on one hand there is the insatiable desire to transcend earthly bounds; on the other, the fear of the unknown. Ehlert's characteristic, highly stylized cut-paper figures, in deep, vibrant colors that are used to set off the evanescent silver of the fox, rope and moon, capture the myth's magic and dexterously suggest its pre-Columbian origins. The book's bilingual text provides valuable material for the ever-growing audience for multicultural children's books. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

LOIS EHLERT is the creator of many award-winning picture books, including Growing Vegetable Soup; Planting a Rainbow; Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf; In My World; and the New York Times Book Review bestseller Waiting for Wings. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.