Many Moons (Hardcover)

The problem is that the Princes Lenoire is "ill of a surfeit of raspberry tarts" and insists that the only thing that will make her well is if she has the moon. Since the King had a great many wise men who always got him anything he wanted he did not think this would be a problem and so he told his daughter she could have the moon. But when he calls for the Lord High Chamberlain he is told the moon is 35,000 miles away, which is too far. The Royal Wizard says it is 150,000 miles away and twice as big as the palace. The Royal Mathematician says it is 300,000 miles away and half the size of the kingdom. The only thing the three wisest men in the kingdom can agree on is that they cannot get the moon for the princess.

The King is upset that nobody can do anything for him and that the Princess Lenore will not be well until she gets the moon. He also knows he should stop asking his wise men what they think because everytime he does the moon gets larger and father away. All the King can do is ask the Court Jester to play his lute. But the Court Jester also listens to the King's problem and comes up with something that the King had not thought of that might actually solve his problem.

"Many Moons" takes a couple of out twists and turns after that, so giving away too much would be wrong. Suffice it to say that this story reaffirms the place of James Thurber as one of America's most renowned humorists. It is not surprising that when "Many Moons" was first published in 1943 will illustrations by Louis Slobodkin it was the winner of the 1944 Caldecott Medal. If the story was told with stick figures it would have won because it is that good of a story. This 1990 edition is illustrated by Marc Simont, who had already done the art for two other James Thurber works, "The Wonderful O" and "The 13 Clocks," and who received the Caldecott Medal as well for his pictures in Janice May Udry's "A Tree Is Nice."

The only problem with "Many Moons" if it gets into the hands of young children is that it may well convince them that it is indeed true that if they ask for the moon their father will get it for them. This is a wonderful story, but it may end up being an expensive one...

In this story a little princess of ten years (going on eleven) become ill from eating, "a surfeit of raspberry tarts". The only cure she wishes for is for someone to get her the moon. Her father, the king, calls in his cleverest advisors, but no one can think of a way to bring the princess the moon. The court jester comes up with the answer, though by the end of the tale it is the princess who has shown true wisdom.

Author James Thurber is as equally well known for his witty cartoons in the "New Yorker" as he is for his books and articles. In this little gem he has taken his audience down a notch. Recognizing that wit and long words are just as appropriate for a five year old as a person of fifty, the book contains a series of delightful asides and ideas. For example, after listing his brilliant accomplishments to the king, the Royal Wizard points out that he also gave the king a cloak of invisibility.

"It didn't work," said the King. "The cloak of invisibility didn't work."
"Yes, it did," said the Royal Wizard.
"No, it didn't," said the King. "I kept bumping into things, the same as ever."
"The cloak is supposed to make you invisible," said the Royal Wizard. "It is not supposed to keep you from bumping into things."
"All I know is, I kept bumping into thing," said the King.

That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. It's funny. It's well-thought out. And it's a joy to read. Coupled with a series of splendid illustrations by Louis Slobodkin (whose style is suspiciously reminiscent of Thurber's own) the text is complimented excellently. If you're ready to read words to your children that consist of lines like, "midgets, and mermaids, frankincense, ambergris, and myrrh", then you're in good hands with this author. To be perfectly frank, rather than write this review I'd love to just copy down the entire book word for word and show you myself how good it is. But then you wouldn't see the pretty pictures and this WAS a Caldecott winner, after all. So I'm just going to have to trust that you understand how supremely good this book is and that you'll rush right out this very minute and get it for yourself. Few books are worth such efforts, but this is one of the few.