Product Description

The Moon Shines Down

by Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by Linda Bleck  

Forgotten for decades in a dusty, tucked-away trunk, The Moon Shines Down brings to life once more the unmistakable voice of Margaret Wise Brown. This soon-to-be classic allows a whole new generation of children to discover, cherish, and enjoy the artistry of this beloved author.

Never before published, The Moon Shines Down on children all over the world from right next door to across the sea, from where "a Dutch boy dreams" and "cowbells ring" to "across the sea in the Far, Far East", through the familiar prayer:

I see the Moon

And the Moon sees me.

God bless the Moon,

And God bless me.

Margaret Wise Brown (1910-1952) was a pioneer of children's literature, choosing to write the stories that children wanted to hear-rather than those that grown-ups wanted to tell. She is best known for her now classic Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny, which remain among the world's best-selling children's books.

Margaret was a prolific writer, and, at the peak of her career, she had over 100 books in print. Her untimely death left numerous manuscripts and ideas behind in various stages of completion. After a time, these were tucked away in a cedar trunk and largely forgotten. It is from this forgotten trunk that The Moon Shines Down was rescued. 

Illustrator Linda Bleck began her artistic career as a child, drawing on rolls of old blueprint paper supplied by her architect father. Later, she helped her mother, a freelance illustrator for Hallmark, paint in the details of her intricate drawings. Linda's work has appeared in The NewYorker, Time Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. She is also the writer and illustrator of the "Pepper the Dog" series, which won the National Parenting Publication Award.

Linda and her family now live in southern Wisconsin . . . where the moon shines down on them, one and all.

The Story Behind the Lost Manuscript . . . 

The Moon Shines Down

from MARGARET WISE BROWN,

the Author of Goodnight Moon 

The Moon Shines Down is being published for the first time 56 years after the death of the beloved children's author Margaret Wise Brown.

Amazingly, this unpublished manuscript lay incomplete and forgotten in a cedar trunk in a Vermont barn. When it was discovered, the onionskin paper had yellowed and the paperclips that held the pages together had rusted. Children's book publisher, Laura Minchew, a longtime fan of Brown, took on the challenge to complete the work.

Based on the New England Sampler prayer, "God Bless the Moon and God Bless Me," this soon-to-be bedtime classic is a prayer for God's blessing on all the world's children.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32254 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

Review
The Moon Shines Down is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Moms Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award. --Mom's Choice Awards

Customer Reviews

With stood the test...
Like many in my age demographic, my exposure to children's books was very limited prior to the arrival and subsequent reading patterns of my 18-month-old son. When given the opportunity to read the latest offering from the author who gave us "Goodnight Moon", (which my wife says is a "classic" children's book) I thought I would try it. When the book arrived, I decided to expose it to the toughest critic in our house...the attention span of my son. We let Noah watch very little TV, and read at least half a dozen books to him a day.
At 48 pages, classic author or not, this would be a sizeable test for him and the book.
The results were overwhelming...the story is essentially that God shines the moon, and blesses children all over the world. Noah was glued from the very first page! Every time I thought we had lost him, he was simply repositioning himself to get a better look at the beautiful illustrations. He commented on every page, yelling out what was familiar to him, and attempting to speak new words. As a parent, I want my son to know the size of God, and his mutual heart for people all over the world. The book did a great job communicating that in word and image. I feel safe in speaking for both myself and Noah...two thumbs up.

Writing Ok...Illustrations Awesome!
This book was in hiding for more than 50 years, and was only recently discovered. When it was found, it was much too short for immediate publication. So, Laura Minchew (a children's book publisher and fan of Brown's) wrote additional verses to complete the book.
Some of the verses flowed more freely than others. Which made me wonder which ones were written by Brown, and which ones were written by Minchew? Overall the book has a lovely theme. Children all over the world fall asleep each night with the same moon shining down upon them.

With seven countries and the ocean mentioned, parents can take the opportunity to discuss various topics such as geography, language, culture, etc...

Linda Bleck is an amazingly talented illustrator. In fact, the illustrations were our family's favorite part of this book. Before reading the book, we took the time to look over each page, admire the illustrations, and search for the koala (often hidden) on the page.

Even though I do not believe this book is Brown's best work, we did enjoy reading it together, and will again I am certain.

My boys loved this book
Today, I read my children "The moon shines down". My boys are 7 and 2. They were fascinated by it. The illustrations are colorful and fit the story perfectly. They had fun looking for the Koala on every page. There are a variety of animals for kids to look at. Some they had never heard of, and so we went online to look them up. As a mother, I appreciated the diversity of the children, and the different countries that are portrayed in the story. This of course led to a discussion about how God created the entire world. And I was able to show them where the countries are located on the globe. My favorite page was the Nativity Scene. The rhyme is repetitious, allowing children to read along. The book is very durable, allowing it to last for years to come. I believe Margaret Wise Brown, would be proud of the way her unfinished story has been completed. I plan on buying this book for my niece. It was beautiful.