Moongirl: The Collector's Edition Book and DVD Gift Set [Hardcover]

Henry Selick (Author), Peter Chan (Illustrator), Courtney Booker (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A Candlewick Press exclusive! A book and film DVD gift set



As Leon fishes out on the bayou one night, the moon goes dark and he is drawn into a mysterious and wonderful adventure, one that takes him all the way to the moon — and inside it. A jar of lightning bugs, a glorious carousel, a two-headed monster, and the intriguing Moongirl herself all play a part in this stunning picture book, based on the award-winning animated short film by celebrated animation director Henry Selick and packaged with a DVD of the complete film. Luminous artwork created for the storybook by Peter Chan (storyboard artist for the Harry Potter films) and Courtney Booker (digital storyboard artist for FINDING NEMO) transports readers to a mythical moonscape full of breathtaking possibilities.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–Based on the award-winning, animated short film of the same name, this picture book tells the story of Leon and his squirrel, Earl, on the night the moon goes dark. The boy and his pet are doing some night fishing on the bayou when they are whisked off by a giant fish made of stars that sends them crashing into the darkened moon. There Leon and Earl must save Moongirl and the orb itself from the gargaloon, a monster that hates moonlight and tries to keep it dark. The large cartoon illustrations carry the exciting plot, giving energy and a fantastical mood to the text, but they provide merely a taste of the film's artistic animation. The package includes a DVD, which is a must as the book itself struggles to stand alone. Libraries circulating popular materials will want to have a copy.–Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Leon is night fishing with his pet squirrel when the moon goes dark. An intrepid fisherman, Leon casts in the dim light and catches "an enormous fish-of-stars." The fish pulls Leon (and his dinghy) into the sky, dropping him on the moon. This whimsical tale, based on the animated short film of the same name, follows Leon as he meets Moongirl, helps defeat the evil gargaloon, and becomes Moonboy. Chan and Booker's illustrations have a flowing romanticism about them, recalling the work of Mary GrandPre and Lane Smith. Although the compositions are uneven and don't always make the most of available space, the curved lines and rounded shapes in the oversize images provide energy and movement. The palette leans toward nighttime hues, with flashes of light provided by a jar of fireflies, characters' eyes, and an expanse of stars. The story is sprinkled with uninspired language, and the rising action lacks the logic of even simple fantasy, but the fanciful images will hold youngsters seeking a story more substantial than the man-in-the-moon story. Janice Del Negro
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Rei/DVD Co edition (September 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763630683
• ISBN-13: 978-0763630683
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 0.9 x 11.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Collector's Edition lacks extras, September 13, 2006

By 

Batwrangler (Manchester, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moongirl: The Collector's Edition Book and DVD Gift Set (Hardcover)

This is a gorgeous, imaginative picture book, beautifully produced and packaged by Candlewick Press and Laika, that includes a dvd of the award-winning short feature of the same name. Sadly there are no extras on the dvd nor any making-of information of any kind. While the book and short certainly stand on their own merits and compliment each other marvelously, I was hoping there would be more to this "Collector's Edition Gift Set".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL, October 25, 2006

By 

Sammi (MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moongirl: The Collector's Edition Book and DVD Gift Set (Hardcover)

This set comes in a box that folds open and the dvd is on one side and the book is on another. I just ordered it for my son for christmas, and I am so happy with the book. (I haven't watched the movie yet but I am very excited about it)My son is only 19 months old but we read together every night and the pictures in this book are pretty enough to hold his attention. I think this is going to be my sons favorite book when he is older. The story is very creative and the artwork is just spectacular. I have recommended this set to all my parent friends already and I have only had it for 2 days! This is a wonderful addition to any childrens library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, January 16, 2007

By 

P. Bingham - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Moongirl: The Collector's Edition Book and DVD Gift Set (Hardcover)

I bought this in October for our daughter's second birthday. It is now January, and this is still one of her favorite shows. She requests to watch it more nights than not as part of the 'ok it's time to start settling down for bed' ritual. Not only does our daughter enjoy the show, but after I don't know how many viewings neither my wife nor I are sick of it. Toddlers love repetition; finding something you can repeat without cringing every time it is requested is awesome.

The Collector's Edition comes with both a book and a DVD. Most of my comments are directed at the DVD. The book is very nicely put together and does add a little to the story, but the illustrations somehow do not capture the energy that the DVD has. I suspect it is the soundtrack by They Might Be Giants on the DVD that helps to keep things moving. My daughter enjoys books in general, but this one is almost never requested despite loving the video version of the story. By contrast she loves having Thomas the Tank Engine books read to her - and I know that's a result of having watched a couple of Thomas videos.

For the price, I believe that the Collector's Edition is a great value. The story is sweet and imaginative, the production values are excellent and overall it's fun. I didn't give it 5 stars because (a) I wouldn't say that this is a classic and (b) if you don't have children, you should be warned you're buying a children's book and an 8 min video; not a 'must have' under all circumstances.