Mr. Squirrel and the Moon

K-Gr 2—This story starts before the title page and won't make sense if readers skip these early pages. Wordless drawings depict a large wheel of cheese falling from a farmer's cart and rolling off a cliff. The next morning, Mr. Squirrel discovers what he thinks is the moon perched on a branch of his tree. Worried that he might be arrested if someone finds him with what must surely be a stolen item, he gets rid of the moon by pushing it off the branch. Unfortunately, it lands on Mrs. Hedgehog and gets stuck on her back. A billy goat comes along and butts the moon with his horns and charges a tree. The goat spends the night attached to both the moon and the tree with the hedgehog still dangling. The next morning some bees and mice, obviously realizing the round yellow object is edible, munch away until it is just a sliver. The goat and hedgehog are freed, and the animals slingshot the moon back into the sky where they hope it will recover its original shape. The story is told in a wry, matter-of-fact style. The illustrations are mostly black and white sketches that contrast with the bright yellow cheese/moon. The book's droll sense of humor is marred, however, by three spreads that presumably come from the worried squirrel's imagination. These dark pictures of a man in jail are downright creepy and ruin the playful tone of the story. Readers should use their judgment when sharing this book with children.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT