Bringing down the moon Book

'Bringing Down The Moon' is a picture book which tells the heart warming tale of a young mole who burrows out of the ground one night to be confronted with a bright, full, moon for the first time. Enchanted by its beauty, Mole decides that he must have it for himself. In his naivety he tries to bring down the moon from the night sky so that he may have it. The book takes us through the different attempts that Mole makes in bringing down the moon from the sky, from jumping up and down to grab it, to trying to knock it down with acorns. In attempting to capture the moon, Mole disturbs a number of his animal friends from their sleep who all advise him that his task will be fruitless, saying "it's not as near as it looks!" This refrain which occurs several times throughout the book provides a reference point for children which eventually forms the final conclusion. Similarly, Mole's attempts at capturing the moon are accompanied by noises spelt out such as "plinkety - plink" and "swishety - swish," again, these are a recurring theme in the book which provide interest for children.
The book is largely based around Cabban's illustrations which switch from large, landscape style illustrations to comic style strips when Mole is trying out a new technique unsuccessfully. Rather unusually for a picture book, the story is all set at night but nevertheless, the pictures are colourful, thanks to the bright moon and, action filled because of the nocturnal Mole.
The book deals with core themes of trying to achieve a goal and the process of doing so even if it is unattainable. It also deals with the relationships of friends and those around you and how we should use them to inform our decisions, when Mole finally listens to what everyone has been telling him, he is satisfied with the moon as it is rather than wanting it all for himself. In this way the story also touches on the issue of sharing for young children.
The author introduces first and third person narrative and writing techniques like onomatopoeia which make it a fun and varied book to be read out loud.