Two kind and curious friends grumble, tease, play, and philosophize in The Moon Is a Ball, a lovely illustrated early chapter book by internationally renowned children's book creators Ed Franck and Thé Tjong-Khing (The Birthday Cake Mystery).
Panda and Squirrel bicker over their game of acorns, attempt a long journey that ends up being a "journey of about two steps," and ponder the big and small questions of the universe, like "where the sun goes to sleep" and why fish don't need to breathe. In the opening story, Squirrel offers to pluck the moon from the sky for Panda because "friends do all kinds of things for each other." Things go quickly and comically awry, but the adventure ends with hugs and a "quiet song about the moon."
Some of the nuances of each protagonist's personality may have been lost in translation from Dutch, but the warm connection between Panda and Squirrel is evident. Nine short, linked stories should hold the interest of emerging readers, especially when children linger--as they almost certainly will--on the gorgeous illustrations by Tjong-Khing. Panda, Squirrel, and other critters are drawn in an appealingly naive style, with washes of muted color and ample white space. The landscapes are stunning: Panda's den tucked into the ledge of a massive rock face, dense walls of bamboo trees.
Striking artwork and sweet, funny stories about friendship make The Moon Is a Ball an amusing addition to the philosophical friends genre, alongside Winnie-the-Pooh and Frog and Toad Are Friends. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor