Mr. Moon is a white cat that looks like a kangaroo and "Mr. Moon always sleeps." The cat's daytime snoozing is difficult for the child of the house, because it means he isn't that much fun to play with. Mr. Moon "naps during hide-and-seek, passes out on puzzles, dozes during adventure stories, and never makes polite conversation at tea parties."
One night, Mr. Moon leaps off the bed: "Hey! You're awake! Where are you going?" asks the child, following the cat to the staircase with the leafy wallpaper. To his astonishment, the cat jumps right through the wallpaper: "Wait for me, I'm coming, too!" On the other side of the wallpaper is a strange, enchanting world of topiary animals and mermaid fountains. In this tranquil dreamscape, Mr. Moon perks up, walks upright, makes friends, plays chess, enjoys hedge mazes and tea parties, and "loves books about adventures... and messing about in boats." They have so much fun together, it's the child who gets sleepy, and Mr. Moon has to carry the youngster through the wall and back to bed before zooming out for more nocturnal adventures.
British artist Jemima Sharpe's fabulous illustrations with their whimsically sketchy quality are awash in soothing gray-greens and blues, with spots of color like the orange of the child's pajamas, the fish in the pond, a fiddle and several inquisitive squirrels. The overall effect is as dreamy as the fantastical bedtime story. As children have long suspected, all the fun stuff happens after everybody goes to sleep. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness