Fiction - Nature, Toys, Dolls & Puppets, Fiction - General & Miscellaneous, Fiction - Family Life

Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me

Name: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me
Author: Eric Carle
ISBN: 9780887080265

by Eric Carle

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Overview

A father is willing to get the moon for his beloved little girl. Along with a heartwarming tale about love, children learn nature's cycles. Originally written by the author for his own daughter. Color illustrations and collages throughout.

Monica's father fulfills her request for the moon by taking it down after it is small enough to carry, but it continues to change in size. Some pages fold out to display particularly large pictures.

Synopsis

Monica wants the moon to play with, so her Papa sets out to get it. It isn't easy to climb to the moon, but he finally succeeds — only to find the moon is too big to carry home. Children will love the joyful way in which this problem is solved.

Now available as a Classic Board Book edition, this delightful story literally unfolds as pages open dramatically, extending both outward and upward.

Publishers Weekly

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)

About the Author, Eric Carle

Children learn about the natural world in Eric Carle's original, charming books, which include classics such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me. Carle's vivid tissue-paper illustrations and innovations in book design have made him an author whose longevity and continued popularity are testaments to his beloved status among young readers and parents.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

Papa loves his daughter so much that when she wishes for the moon, he succeeds in getting it for her. Carle's illustrations fold out, down, and sideways, making this magical book larger than life, matching the love portrayed in this story. This book is also available in a tiny carry-around version from the Pixies Miniature Reprint Series for children who always want to keep their father's love close at hand.

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

Monica asks her Papa to get the moon for her because she wanted to play with it. Papa undertakes the mission and Carle takes the opportunity to create a board book that is filled with wonderful collage images. Some like the scene of Papa walking with the ladder spread over a series of pages that fold out. Later when Papa puts the ladder up to climb to the moon, there is a vertical foldout. When Papa reaches the moon, the page folds out to give a sense of the moon's size. As the moon goes through its phases and shrinks in size, it finally becomes small enough for Papa to take to his daughter. They play together for awhile, but eventually the moon disappears. Some time later Monica once again saw the moon in the sky and watched it grow bigger. An interesting way of presenting the waxing and waning of the moon. 1999, Simon & Schuster, Ages 4 to 7, $9.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot

School Library Journal

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.