Fool Moon Rising [Hardcover]

Kristi and T. Lively Fluharty (Author), T. Lively Fluharty (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2009 | Age Range: 3 and up

Through this illustrated tale about the moon stealing the sun's glory, children learn about the importance of humility and the dangers of pride.

This rhyming, rollicking tale tells of a crime of cosmic proportions: the moon, blinded by pride, fails to see the true source of his abilities-the light provided by the sun. He boasts of his ability to shine, to change shape throughout each month, and to swell the tides. One day, overwhelmed by a piercing ray of sunshine, the moon repents of his pride and changes his ways, and from that point on he is happy to reflect the sun's light.

This beautifully illustrated book introduces the concept of humility to children. Readers will be reminded that everything we have, including our gifts and talents, is from God. Just as the moon learns to boast only of the sun, children-and their parents-learn that to boast of anything other than the Son is utter foolishness.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

KRISTI and T. LIVELY FLUHARTY live in Prior Lake, MN, with their five daughters. T. Lively (Tom) is an accomplished illustrator whose artwork has appeared in such publications as TIME magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Focus on the Family. Kristi holds a BA in technical journalism and currently homeschools their children, teaches Sunday school, and teaches swimming lessons.

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433506823
• ISBN-13: 978-1433506826
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 0.2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Parable of Pride...And The Only Way to Destroy It December 21, 2009

By Jacob Hantla TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Fool Moon Rising is one incredible book! In a delightful and well-illustrated short poem, The Kristi & T. Lively Fluharty will demonstrate the foolishness of pride and point your child (and you!) to the solution.

The moon begins the story living for himself. His one aim is to sing his praise, to make sure that all who see him recognize his greatness. It is obvious that the moons great light is not his, but from the sun. But the moon is oblivious to this fact and sings his praise. Does that sound familiar? O, how convicting because I am just like this foolish moon so often. Fool Moon Rising reveals the proud sinner inside of me each time I read it. Everything good in me comes from God, so why would I boast as if it were not a gift? Yet, in my blindness, that is exactly what I (and my child) am prone to do.

It would be an excellent book if that was all it did: Point out the foolishness of pride. But it would not be a complete book. The moon is suddenly and remarkably changed when one day he sees the bright and blinding light of the Sun, the source of his light. From that glimpse on, the moon lives for one and only one purpose: To point all the glory back to the Sun. The only way to kill my pride is to gaze upon the glory of God; this will irresistibly direct my life after my one great aim: to enjoy God and glorify Him forever.

But what I love about the story is that it doesn't explain any of the meaning behind the parable. This leaves likely countless years of many quality discussions with your child (your spouse, and even your own heart) about all of the rich meaning behind the parable. To help you out, there are a couple Bible verses and number of very good questions included.

My daughter, 19 months, loves the pictures and wants me to read it to her all the time. The book includes incredibly fun illustrations. I can't wait for the day, very soon, when I can begin asking her simple questions about the content. It is simple enough that a 2-and-a-half or three-year-old could get some points, but deep enough to even challenge adults.

As the elder at my church who determines books-of-the-month, this has quickly vaulted to the top of the list for children's books of the month. I long for the next generation at my church to be deeply affected by the message of this book; I long for the parents at my church to be deeply affected by the message of this book; and most of all I want my family (starting with myself) to be deeply affected by the pride-destroying message of this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Positively Gorgeous...*and* funny September 27, 2009

By itsjustme

Format:Hardcover

It's been quite a while since a Christian picture book got me so excited I couldn't wait to write a review of the book, but such is the case with Kristi and T. Lively Fluharty's Fool Moon Rising.

The book begins by quoting 1 Corinthians 4:7, which points out that everything we have is something God has given us. Then we see a young boy staring up at the night sky. He asks God if a certain story he's heard is true. The moon, he says, once bragged every night that he could bring light to the dark night sky; he pompously sang only songs about himself (like "Moon River" and "Blue Moon"), took pride in his ability to transform from a round orb to a sliver, delighted in the thought that astronauts "danced across his face" and that he caused the great oceans to rise and swell. "I am the greatest light!" he bragged to the universe.

"Until one day a piercing ray
Showed him a shocking sight.
He saw his pride and then he cried
For all that he had done.
For he had lied when he denied
His light came from the Sun."

Then, the young boy concludes, the moon fully admitted he was just reflecting the Sun's glory - and the boy prays that every day and in everything he does he will make much of God, not himself.

The last page of the book offers a few discussion questions, illustrations of some amazing sights in space (including the X Structure at the Core of the Whirlpool Galaxy), and some fun facts about space.

What I Like: First, the illustrations in this book are nothing less than outstanding. T. Lively Fluharty's artwork is not only rich and detailed, but it's just plain fun. My four year old (who happens to love everything space related) laughed out loud at these illustrations: We see a cheesy moon, clearly full of himself, surrounded by animals and planets that find him perfectly annoying. On the page where the moon sings, the he also plays a guitar and has a cow jumping over him. Later, we see astronauts in ballet shoes and tutus "dancing" on the moon, as well as monkleys in space suits trying to eat bananas through their helmets.

Second, the message here is not only terrific, but the moon and how it reflects the light of the sun are a great way to explain how we can reflect Christ's light.

What I Dislike: The rhyming text in this book is okay - it's neither bad nor great. Given the terrific nature of both this book's illustrations and its premise, I would have loved to seen a stronger writer tackle this tale.

I also wish that instead of devoting the last two pages of the book to miscellaneous facts about space, the author had instead spent at least a little room explaining how the moon really does reflect the sun, how it waxes and wanes, how it affects the tides, etc. As it is, all this is spoken of as if the readers already understand these concepts, so I spent a bit of time explaining them to my preschooler.

Overall Rating: Despite these flaws, Fool Moon Rising is exceptional. My four year old asks me to read it to her over and over again, and I give it a rating of Excellent.

Kristina Seleshanko
Managing Editor
Christian Children's Book Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, entertaining, and uplifting! March 12, 2010

By Michael Mcart VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This beautifully illustrated book by Kristi and T. Lively Fluharty tells the story of the moon and how he is full of pride and vanity. He believes he is the greatest source of light...until he meets the sun. The lesson taught is that the child learns to be grateful for their blessings and not try to be prideful. The book concludes by showing a child in prayer, thanking God for all the joy and grace He gives.

Full Moon Rising will captivate your children and make them want you to read it to them again and again. The author and illustrator did a great job working together, even hiding little details in the drawings that you might not catch at first.

This 32-page book is from Crossway Books and is a must have for your Christian children's book library.

Mick McArt
Author, Tales of Wordishure
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