Customer Reviews

The Moon Shines Down

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Like many in my age demographic, my exposure to children's books was very limited prior to the arrival and subsequent reading patterns of my 18-month-old son. When given the opportunity to read the latest offering from the author who gave us "Goodnight Moon", (which my wife says is a "classic" children's book) I thought I would try it. When the book arrived, I decided to expose it to the toughest critic in our house...the attention span of my son. We let Noah watch very little TV, and read at least half a dozen books to him a day.
At 48 pages, classic author or not, this would be a sizeable test for him and the book.
The results were overwhelming...the story is essentially that God shines the moon, and blesses children all over the world. Noah was glued from the very first page! Every time I thought we had lost him, he was simply repositioning himself to get a better look at the beautiful illustrations. He commented on every page, yelling out what was familiar to him, and attempting to speak new words. As a parent, I want my son to know the size of God, and his mutual heart for people all over the world. The book did a great job communicating that in word and image. I feel safe in speaking for both myself and Noah...two thumbs up.

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of my favorite books to read to small children, especially at bedtime. My youngest just turned nine so those days are long gone in my household.

Sigh.

I enjoyed so much the rhythm, cadence, and meter of that book. It just rolled off the tongue. I recently received a "lost" book of Ms. Brown's for review, titled The Moon Shines Down. The introduction states that this book is based on the New England sampler prayer,

I see the moon
and the moon sees me
The moon sees the somebody I'd like to see.
God bless the moon
and God bless me
God bless the somebody I'd like to see!

Unfortunately, the publisher felt the manuscript was "too short for a standard size picture book," so they asked a fan of Ms. Brown's to fill it out. The introduction continues that the supplemental author, Laura Minchew, was able to capture "Brown's unique rhythms and rhyme schemes." "Unique" is an adequate euphemism, because the rhythms and schemes are wooden and out of sync or rhyme. One example of odd rhyme is "And the Moon sees the kids in Mexico/....//And God bless the Toucan and her funny nose." That one hurts.

The flow of the story is stilted. It seems to go from children in foreign countries, to animals in Australia, to Christmas, to the sea. I didn't see a progression. Perhaps there was a reason Ms. Brown "lost" the manuscript.

The pictures are nice, and I'm sure a small child would enjoy pointing at the creatures and people in the pictures, but the parent who has to read the same story over and over again will make sure this book finds an out of reach spot on the bookshelf.

I have one offense with this book. The rhyme reads "And all the children in every country-- / In Australia, Norway, and Italy,/ Africa,...." Africa is a continent, not a country. We don't want our children someday to be accused of not knowing that important fact.

Unfortunately, I have to give this book a thumbs down.

This book was in hiding for more than 50 years, and was only recently discovered. When it was found, it was much too short for immediate publication. So, Laura Minchew (a children's book publisher and fan of Brown's) wrote additional verses to complete the book.
Some of the verses flowed more freely than others. Which made me wonder which ones were written by Brown, and which ones were written by Minchew? Overall the book has a lovely theme. Children all over the world fall asleep each night with the same moon shining down upon them.

With seven countries and the ocean mentioned, parents can take the opportunity to discuss various topics such as geography, language, culture, etc...

Linda Bleck is an amazingly talented illustrator. In fact, the illustrations were our family's favorite part of this book. Before reading the book, we took the time to look over each page, admire the illustrations, and search for the koala (often hidden) on the page.

Even though I do not believe this book is Brown's best work, we did enjoy reading it together, and will again I am certain.

We bought this book because our daughter is obsessed with the moon and we also enjoy reading Goodnight Moon, however Goodnight Moon is in a different class from this book. It seems to me that this book was written by someone that has not the basic grasp of writing rhythm and rhyme. The rhyming in the text in places is bad and other times it is simply awful. Not sure how this got past an editor. I don't have the book in front of my but I know one particular stinker is the Mexico page, where the writer writes something like "God bless the children in Mexico and the Toucan with her funny nose"??? (This line was supposed to rhyme!) I find this book very awkward to read.

The saving grace, and the reason I gave the book 2 stars is that the book is very nicely illustrated, which my daughter loves. I tend to avoid reading the text and make up stories of our own, about the animals or people in the book.

This book's text is a major let-down, we quite often show it to our friends for fun to see there reactions to the awful rhymes.

Today, I read my children "The moon shines down". My boys are 7 and 2. They were fascinated by it. The illustrations are colorful and fit the story perfectly. They had fun looking for the Koala on every page. There are a variety of animals for kids to look at. Some they had never heard of, and so we went online to look them up. As a mother, I appreciated the diversity of the children, and the different countries that are portrayed in the story. This of course led to a discussion about how God created the entire world. And I was able to show them where the countries are located on the globe. My favorite page was the Nativity Scene. The rhyme is repetitious, allowing children to read along. The book is very durable, allowing it to last for years to come. I believe Margaret Wise Brown, would be proud of the way her unfinished story has been completed. I plan on buying this book for my niece. It was beautiful.

This book is based on a lost (and unfinished) manuscript by Margaret Wise Brown (author of the beloved Goodnight Moon). That manuscript was based on an English nursery rhyme:

I see the moon
and the moon sees me
God bless the moon
and God bless me.

I have admit that I'm not the most ardent fan of Margaret Wise Brown. Goodnight Moon, for example has an odd rhyme scheme/rhythm and the illustrations could be called uninspiring. But it is a book that grows on you because so many children respond so strongly to it. There's something about the combination of the cadence of the story and simplicity of the drawings that is appealing to very young children. Just don't even get me started on The Runaway Bunny.

So, about this book - The general gist of the `story' is that the moon shines its light all over the world. There is a little poem and illustrations for different regions of the world. It has the same odd rhyming pattern as Goodnight Moon. Some of the rhymes are good. Others are a little clunky.

The illustrations are similarly hit or miss. I really liked the idea of representations of children from all around the world with foreign back drops to match. The drawings have a vintage 1950s feel and some are really striking with vibrant colors. The children from the Far East are just too precious for words. Others are just so-so.

I think this book will really appeal to religious families since there is a clear message of Christian faith through out the book. It will also appeal to families who want to expose their children to a global perspective.

The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Brown, author of the children's classic Goodnight Moon, a personal favorite of mine, is no less than a Godsend. The book begins with a glossy cover where the moon, which dominates the page, shines down on innocent looking creatures amidst a dark Christmas night. It is a colorful book with vivid illustrations, where each page satisfies the senses, where the precious sounds of cultural differences resonate in your spirit as you read. For example, the French children saying oui, oui, oui, and the African children dancing in the summer rain are images which remain with you throughout the story.

Told in the form of a poem,it is a simple yet timeless story, displaying God's unconditional love and provision for all children. The story speaks of the moon and its light shining everywhere in the world. It makes mention of the children in the Dutch country, the Swiss country,the far East, and specifically the Japanese, Chinese,Mandarin,Laotian, Vietnamese, and Korean children. Brown also mentions the children of Mexico,France, Australia,England,Africa, specifically Zimbabwe, Norway, Italy and Germany. Then she tells us that the moon also shines on our own neighborhood, in our own country,reminding us that we are blessed. Concerned with bringing Christ and Christianity as the focus of Christmas, Brown tells us that the Christ child is heaven's baby. The moon, symbolizing our connection to God, is used to illuminate our oneness amidst all our differences. Ultimately, The Moon Shines Down,through colorful drawings and rhyming words, successfully drives home the notion that God is love.

Ashea Goldson, author of The Lovechild

Notes on the book from the inside cover:

An incomparable children's book almost lost to the world. As an unpublished, incomplete manuscript based on a New England sampler prayer, "God bless the moon and God bless me", the author's work was found in an old barn in Vermont years after her death. Being too short for a standard size picture book, Laura Minchew, a children's book publisher, was able to match the author's style and complete this wondrous story.


Filled with beautiful illustrations by Linda Bleck on glossy pages, this story will enchant children and the people who read it to them many times over. Written in rhyming verse for youngsters around the world, the story tells of near and far away lands and children of different cultures. An adorable little koala bear visits each location. Charming native animals indicative of their respective countries grace every page. From the Zuider Zee to the furthest Orient telling a happy tale of children speaking Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian languages to Mexico complete with pictures of iguanas and cacti. The animals are large and colorful. The moon is big, bright and very yellow. The moon shines down even over the sea complete with bright pictures of fish and turtles. Many more countries are visited replete with pictures of children, whether playing or peacefully sleeping, they are content knowing the moon shines down on all the world. A perfect ending to the book is the little prayer, "I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and God bless me.

Even as an adult, I found this a delightful story sure to bring smiles to any face. The use of primary colors will greatly appeal to children. I particularly liked the rhyming verse and the lovely message, no matter where in the world you are, God's moon shines down upon us.

The Christmas Edition
Years and years ago, when my girl was little...we would take night time walks and as we started back home again, we would look up at the stars and the moon and together would say, "I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon! And God bless me!" I picked this book up because of the same premise and because I am about to be a grandmama for the very first time. I couldnt wait to page through this. We follow the moon around the world and God bless all the living creatures as we go. The illustrations are sweet and colorful. The words are lyrical. This will be a favorite of Kingston and mine. I know it.

Thomas Nelson publishes a forgotten manuscript, and Margaret Wise Brown's public gets a new picture book by this gentle and delightful author 56 years after her death.

[...]

I received it in the mail today from Thomas Nelson, and read it aloud to myself, and the older children in range stopped what they were doing to listen, too. It's a sweet book, and we loved the bright, vibrant, charming illustrations. It's a wonderful read aloud for approximately preschool and below. Using the refrain "God bless the moon and God bless me," an adorable koala travels the world at bedtime, observing children in different countries. "The moon shines down, and sheds its beams On a house with a stork where a Dutch boy dreams Of tulip fields by quiet streams In his flat Dutch Land of cheese and creams. I see the Moon and the Moon sees me, and the Moon sees the Dutch boy far over the sea. Whe the tulips bloom by the Zuider Zee, O God bless him and God bless me."

We visit Switzerland, the far east (in one swoop, Japan, Korean, Chinese, Laotian, and Vietnam; Mexico, France, Zimbabwe, Australia, and the ocean. There's a two page spread about Christmas and the Christ child as well.

Since the book is for the youngest children, the children in this book are not suffering from hunger, war, famine or drought, they dance in the rain, sleep under the moon, and smile happily. It's a gentle introduction to geography and the idea that God cares for everybody all over the world. A keeper.