This story literally unfolds as pages open dramatically, extending both outward and upward. Monica wants the moon to play with, so her Papa sets out to get it for her. It isn't easy to climb all the way to the moon, but he finally succeeds--only to find that the moon is too big to carry home! The way the problem is resolved is a joyful surprise. Illustrated.

Carle, whose The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been extraordinarily successful, scores again with this stunning picture book, drawn in thick, brilliant brushstrokes of blues and greens and reds that dazzle the eye. Monica wants to play with the moon, but can't reach it, so she asks her father to get it for her. Ingeniously designed with several fold-out pages, the books opens out horizontally to show a very long ladder Papa fetches, opens vertically to show him climbing the ladder above a very high mountain, and unfolds into a huge spread of the full moon, where the ladder has led Papa. But the moon is too big for him to carry, so he waits while it grows smaller, until finally it is the right size to bring home to Monica. She jumps and dances and frolics with it, but it keeps shrinking, until one day it's gone. But not for long: a thin sliver soon appears in the sky, growing larger and becoming full once again. A splendid introduction to the monthly lunar cycle, this is also a wondrous work of art that will stand up to countless readings.