The Moon Shines Down

The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown.

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By the author of  Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny, this new release was hidden for years in a trunk.  Found posthumously, it is now newly published and released.  Linda Bleck illustrated this fun new children’s book.

I see the Moon

And the Moon sees me

God bless he Moon

And God bless me.

Based on this prayer, Brown takes the reader through different parts of the world showing that the moon indeed does shine down on children all over the world.  Brown begins in the Netherlands which is filled with tulips, cheese and creams.   She then moves to Switzerland where there are cowbells, mountains and edelweiss.  Brown moves the reader to the “far, far east”  where children speak japanese, korean, chinese, mandarin, laotian, and vietnamese.  In Mexico, there are iguanas and Toucans.  Children dance in France.  In Australia, there are fun animals like the kangaroo, the wallaby, the koala, the platypus and the emu.  In the cottage in England, there are crickets and fireflies.  Africa is filled with wild animals like the elephant, warthog, and the lion.  Brown takes the reader around the world showcasing unique attributes of each part of the world.

I really like the global aspect of this book.  So many books focus only on the american culture, leaving the rest of the world for geography class.  I think it will be fun to talk about different cultures with Abby as we read through this book together.

The illustrations in The Moon Shines Down are terrific.  They are brightly colored and fun which any young reader will appreciate.  A great addition to the library.

Tags: book review, childrens book, Good Night Moon, Margaret Wise Brown, Moon Shines Down