When Moon Fell Down [Hardcover]

Linda Smith (Author), Kathryn Brown (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Moon fell down one night...
Fell upon a farmer's lawn,
Rolled about in sheer delight
On fields he'd only shined upon.

When Moon falls down one night, he and an adventure-minded cow roan up hills and down, wander through city streets, and finally return back home at dawn. A joyous and lyrical romp, this picture book captures the magic and wonder of seeing familiar things in a whole new way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this episodic fantasy, the moon topples from his perch and lands in a farmer's lawn: "The rye smelled sweet,/ The night winds whirled,/ Circling Moon in a misty wreath,/ And he beamed in awe/ At this wondrous world / The stars above and earth/ beneath." Wearing cowboy boots and a zippered sweater on the torso and limbs that support him, Moon meets a cow who accompanies him to town. Moon is entranced by a blinking sign, while Cow "poke[s] around the milkman's cart." Their adventures come to an abrupt halt the next morning, when he orders them back where they belong. The late Smith's rhyme is lilting and soothing, while Brown's watercolors are agreeably inviting. But in their adherence to a uniform perspective, they underserve one of the themes the pleasure of seeing a familiar object from a new angle. Moon is an eager observer: "He'd never seen the trunks of trees/ Or blades below the farmer's plow./ Moon didn't know a horse had knees,/ But things were strangely sideways now." Reminiscent of both e.e. cummings and "Hey Diddle Diddle," Smith's rhythms and phrasing create a fanciful entertainment for bedtime fun. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-This whimsical story captures an evening when Moon inexplicably falls to Earth and explores the environs of a small town in the company of an endearing cow. They explore until dawn, when the farmer sends both back to their rightful places. Gently humorous touches, such as Cow and Moon admiring the perfect half-moon slices of cheese displayed in a shop, Moon falling in love with a blinking sign, and his delight in seeing the world sideways and close-up instead of from above, are fresh and light. However, the rhyming text does not always scan, some lines work pretty hard to keep both meaning and meter in mind, and the farmer's scolding of the two friends at the end conflicts with the quiet theme of the rewards of seeing things from a different point of view. Still, Brown's watercolor illustrations glow with Moon's reflected light and shapes swirl across the page and around the nighttime action while the palette lightens as morning approaches. Youngsters may see nighttime in a new light.
Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (April 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060283017
• ISBN-13: 978-0060283018
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,674,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The COW ran away with the moon, April 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: When Moon Fell Down (Hardcover)

This story is destined to become a bedtime classic. Enchanting illustrations are perfectly paired with Smith's lyrical tale.Together, Cow and Moon waltz across the pages exploring a quaint country town from a new point of view.WHEN MOON FELL DOWN will have both parents and children cheering, "Again! Again!"

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I AM OVER THE MOON!, April 30, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When Moon Fell Down (Hardcover)

When Moon Fell Down, he could have had any kind of adventure on earth. But instead, he chooses to spend this one special night with a friendly cow, in a small town, looking at the world through a whole different perspective. As author Smith notes, "He'd never seen the trunks of trees/Or blades below the farmer's plow/ Moon didn't know a horse had knees/ But things were strangely sideways now." Not since Eugene Fields wrote Wynken, Blinken, and Nod have I read such lyrical text! At the end of Moon and Cows night of adventure, the farmer sets things straight, "Cow ran off to the bran to fret/ Moon rose above the town/ But niether one would ever forget/The night when Moon Fell Down." Brown's soft watercolors compliment Smith's soft text to create a book that feels organic and huggable. Perfect for bedtime!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Destined to become a bedtime classic!, July 2, 2002

By 

"alexwriter" - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Moon Fell Down (Hardcover)

Have you memorized Goodnight Moon? I have. And I read Owl Moon until I could hoot with the best of them too. But, beautiful as these books are, I was looking for something else to suggest when my two daughters (ages 6 and 2) screamed, "Goodnight Moon!" for the hundredth time. I found it. When Moon Fell Down is the perfect rhyming bedtime story. In lovely prose:

"The rye smelled sweet; the night winds whirled, circling moon in a misty wreath; And he gazed in awe at the wonderous world, the sky above and the earth beneath . . ."

When Moon Fell Down tells what would happen if the moon came down to earth one night. What would he see, and how would he see it? Sometimes soothing, sometimes surprising, this book's melodic text and dreamy artwork brings a smile to my children's faces and a tear to my eye.