Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon [Hardcover]

Carl Sandburg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2008 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

This whimsical tale by internationally renowned author/poet Carl Sandburg is reimagined for a new generation of children with fanciful illustrations by artist Rosanne Litzinger. Have you ever seen the moon go dancing? Have you ever seen shoes take themselves tiping and tapping, strutting and strolling on the sidewalks? Have you ever seen girls kick their slipers to the stars? In the Rootabaga Country when the moon is slim, funny things can happen in the nighttime.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—One of the lesser-known tales from Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories, this one begins as a man tells his daughter, "Never kick a slipper at the moon if it is the time for the Dancing Slipper Moon when the slim early moon looks like the toe and the heel of a dancer's foot." The story that follows describes the origin of this odd advice. Long ago, a girl woke early one morning after a night of dancing. She went to the window, admired the moon, kicked her foot up, and, "The slipper flew off and flew up and went on and on and up and up in the moonshine." The language veers from the tongue-twisters of the first quote to the smooth rhythms of the second. Litzinger's attractive watercolors show rounded shapes set against a creamy, cool blue. They have a cubist, surreal look that pairs well with the whimsical text. The story lacks dramatic tension, but the quiet silliness will engage some listeners, and the parade of footwear that marches around at one point will satisfy shoe lovers. Overall, this is an effective treatment, and collections with an interest in the classics will want to buy it.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
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About the Author

Rosanne Litzinger is a popular illustrator of books for children, including The Magic Kerchief by Kirby Larson and Leprechaun Gold by Teresa Baterman. Booklist praised her artwork as "delightful" and "visually appealing,"while the Horn Book abserved that it "tells the story as clearly as do the words." She resides in Seal Beach, CA.

The author of more than forty books, Sandburg twice won the Pulitzer Prize: for history, with his four-volume ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE WAR YEARS and for poetry, with COMPLETE POEMS. Among the many literary awards he received were the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal, the Poetry Society of America's gold medal, and the Boston Arts Festival Award.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (September 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823421600
• ISBN-13: 978-0823421602
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,634,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Neither fun nor interesting, March 31, 2011

By 

Grandma Karen "GrandmaK in Ohio" (Cincinnati OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon (Hardcover)

I bought this book thinking it was by a classic author/poet and assumed it would have something of value. I was disappointed myself and even more so when my 4-year-old granddaughter tried so hard to "enjoy" the weird story. Neither of us cared much for the book. The artwork is delightful and entertaining, but not the story. In addition, the font used by the publisher is very hard to read with poor contrast on some pages.

The idea of shoes walking away in the middle of the night sounds like a good beginning for a fantasy but it didn't go anywhere. I think my granddaughter could have come up with a better plot.

I value the time I spend with a young child in my lap. Wish this could have provided a better experience for both of us.