Many Moons (Books for Young Readers) [Paperback]

James Thurber (Author), Louis Slobodkin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Books for Young Readers

Princess Lenore is ill from eating too many raspberry tarts. She believes that possessing the moon is the only thing that will cure her. Despite a command from the King, neither the Lord High Chamberlain nor the Royal Wizard nor the Royal Mathematician can get the moon for her. Only when the clever Court Jester consults the Princess herself is the problem solved--with characteristic Thurber wit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Buoyant watercolors, full of poignancy and subtle merriment, more than do justice to Thurber's beloved tale of a princess who asks for the moon, and the wise jester who presents her with it," said PW. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-- Although the Caldecott-winning edition illustrated by Louis Slobodkin (HBJ, 1943) is the one that many parents and librarians grew up with, this new full-color version by Simont has a charm of its own. His illustrations are more modern in appearance, although the essentially periodless style of dress on the characters has the timeless look that this literary fairy tale demands. Backgrounds are generally sketchy, giving the characters center stage. The clever Jester, dressed in fool's motley, is still the only one of the King's advisors who has the sense to ask Princess Lenore just what she expects when she asks for the moon. The pompous Lord High Chamberlain, the skatty Wizard, and the absent-minded Mathematician are as helpless as ever, and the little princess with her common sense and gap-toothed smile is charming. This will delight a whole new generation of children. --Rosanne Cerny, Queens Borough Public Library, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152018956
• ISBN-13: 978-0152018955
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never mind the blue poodles, February 22, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Many Moons (Hardcover)

The witty picture book is often considered to be a relatively new phenomenon. In this day and age there's an abundance of sly hip little books like "Olivia" or "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" everywhere you look. But clever picture books are by no means a new creation. I invite you to take a gander at the 1940s Caldecott winner, "Many Moons". If you don't find it the most sublime little work of art, I daresay I'll eat my hat.

In this story a little princess of ten years (going on eleven) become ill from eating, "a surfeit of raspberry tarts". The only cure she wishes for is for someone to get her the moon. Her father, the king, calls in his cleverest advisors, but no one can think of a way to bring the princess the moon. The court jester comes up with the answer, though by the end of the tale it is the princess who has shown true wisdom.

Author James Thurber is as equally well known for his witty cartoons in the "New Yorker" as he is for his books and articles. In this little gem he has taken his audience down a notch. Recognizing that wit and long words are just as appropriate for a five year old as a person of fifty, the book contains a series of delightful asides and ideas. For example, after listing his brilliant accomplishments to the king, the Royal Wizard points out that he also gave the king a cloak of invisibility.

"It didn't work," said the King. "The cloak of invisibility didn't work."
"Yes, it did," said the Royal Wizard.
"No, it didn't," said the King. "I kept bumping into things, the same as ever."
"The cloak is supposed to make you invisible," said the Royal Wizard. "It is not supposed to keep you from bumping into things."
"All I know is, I kept bumping into thing," said the King.

That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. It's funny. It's well-thought out. And it's a joy to read. Coupled with a series of splendid illustrations by Louis Slobodkin (whose style is suspiciously reminiscent of Thurber's own) the text is complimented excellently. If you're ready to read words to your children that consist of lines like, "midgets, and mermaids, frankincense, ambergris, and myrrh", then you're in good hands with this author. To be perfectly frank, rather than write this review I'd love to just copy down the entire book word for word and show you myself how good it is. But then you wouldn't see the pretty pictures and this WAS a Caldecott winner, after all. So I'm just going to have to trust that you understand how supremely good this book is and that you'll rush right out this very minute and get it for yourself. Few books are worth such efforts, but this is one of the few.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buy the Edition with the Original Illustrations, May 7, 2006

By 

Christina Connell "Bibliocat" (Easley, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Many Moons (Books for Young Readers) (Paperback)

Despite Rosemary Thurber's reassurances in the introduction to the reillustrated edition that a "new artist's point of view could be exciting," this new version is very disappointing. Louis Slobodkin's weird and wiggly drawings tinged in red and aqua have been replaced by Simont's conventional watercolor illustrations. While they are attractive, they are not, as Booklist describes them, a "bright, refreshing interpretation." Simont duplicates many of the scenes from the original, such as the doctor and king at the bedside of the princess or the princess skipping rope in the garden-though the text does not mention a jump rope. In the original, as the Lord High Chamberlain lists all the things he has gotten for the King, Slobodkin has the items frame the page as the Chamberlain unrolls a scroll in his hand; Simont does the same thing. When the Chamberlain says that the moon is bigger than the Princess's room, Slobodkin places the room inside the moon; Simont does the same thing. A scene-by-scene comparison reveals that Simont simply updates most of the original drawings. The two-page layout of the Princess holding her thumbnail up against the moon viewed through an arched window is an exact duplicate of the 1943 edition. Even the text on the two pages differs by only two sentences. I just do not accept the validity of this so-called "new" interpretation. Simont's literal and conventional depictions of the characters and setting actually move the story to a more ordinary level, while Slobodkin's strange squiggles keep the story in the realm of the imagination and give the tale a dream-like quality. Stick with the original.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wish Come True, November 24, 2001

By 

Wendy Kaplan (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Many Moons (Hardcover)

Princess Lenore wants the moon for her very own. And no amount of persuasion, cajolery, or distraction can dissuade her. Being a princess, she is used to getting what she wants...but this requests stumps the king and all his courtiers. Lenore grows ill waiting for the moon to be hers.

How many times did I read this charming book to my daughter? More than we can count. Long after she could read for herself, it was a favorite. My daughter is now 17 and thinking about college. And yet to this day, when we see a crescent moon shining brightly in the sky, we say, "It's Lenore's moon!"

A beautiful, timeless classic, short, sweet, and unforgettable.