Hello. Fats here.
A few days ago, I shared James Christopher Carroll’s marvelous picturebook, The Boy and the Moon. Today, I am featuring another “moon” book. Laura L. Seeley’s The Magical Moonballs is a rhyming picturebook about the moon who felt lonely because no one was around to give him a smile.
The man in the moon
drifted slowly in space
as he looked down below
with a smile on his face.But he seemed a bit sad
from this lonesome lifestyle.
Not a soul was out there
to send back a smile.Though he longed for a friend
there was no one in sight,
so he spent his days daydreaming
even at night.
Have you ever given this a thought? When you look at the sky at night, has it ever occurred to you that maybe the man in the moon feels sad being up there all by himself? It would be interesting to hear what children would have to say to this.
Luckily for the man in the moon, guardian of childhood, a big sneeze was all it took to put an end to his loneliness. His sneeze caused the clouds to burst into magical moonballs who are looking for fun.
Some houses below
could hear faint, distant cries…
There were squeals full of happiness
up in the skies!It looked like a make-believe
moonlit snowfall
as these messengers came,
bringing smiles to them all.With spry somersaults,
laughing out with delight,
down the chimneys they spilled
in a rush of moonlight.
The rest of the book traces the magical moonballs’ fantastical journey inside people’s houses. They are like pixie dust spreading magic and good cheer all around, waking up household items to join the fun, and sending the echoes of laughter back to the lonely man in the moon.
Laura L. Seeley’s The Magical Moonballs is longer than other rhyming picturebooks I’ve read. It gives a detailed, scene-by-scene (or in this case, room-by-room) description of the moonballs’ mission to spread happiness. Although the illustrations reminded me of movies like Beauty and the Beast, and The Pagemaster, it didn’t work for me. I didn’t find it as appealing as it should. It’s been a while since I’ve seen inanimate objects with intricate and detailed facial expressions.
The Magical Moonballs emphasizes the gift and magic of a smile, given to others and received from them. The story may be simple but children can definitely learn something from it.
When you notice sad faces
and see what they lack,
send a smile their way—
it’s the gift that comes back.And maybe it won’t
(there are no guarantees),
but it could be contagious,
you know… like a sneeze.
Gathering Books 
Fats, I get what you’re saying about the very detailed faces on the inanimate objects. Still, it looks like it’s a very joyful, playful book? Glad to always see new books (to me, they’re new!) and you and Myra are really good at serving that up! Thank you 🙂
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