Join Panda and Squirrel in nine funny, wise and thoughtful stories about the meaning of friendship by two world greats of children’s literature.
Join Panda and Squirrel in nine funny, wise and thoughtful stories about the meaning of friendship by two world greats of children’s literature.
The Moon is a Ball: Stories of Panda & Squirrel is a collection of short stories for young readers to be left alone with, to have read aloud, or for grown-ups who like lovely stories. It follows the lives of two animals, Panda and Squirrel, as they navigate friendship andlearn more about themselves and the world around them.
Usually, it’s the words that we focus on first, but in this book, I was immediately drawn to the illustrations.
The relationship between the friends and the action in the story is brought to life: Squirrel jumping into Panda’s arms, Panda cradling a duckling on a dangerous cliff edge and Squirrel thinking so hard she gives herself a headache. And how is the moon glowing on the page? It’s mesmerising.
The stories are nuggets of wisdom, delightful in the same way that children’s questions and comments can make grown-ups stop and wonder. In A Long Journey, Panda and Squirrel set out on a great journey, putting one paw in front of the other with no other aim than adventure.
They vow to invite along the first animal they see, and that animal turns out to be Snail. They don’t get very far and Panda and Squirrel are frustrated, but Snail has many musings.
“Where do the clouds go?” he asks. “And why do moles spread out while ants live close together?”
There are many facets of friendship covered: the fights and disagreements, the boredom and the excitement. Panda loses her memory in one story and asks what a friend is.
“Well… A friend goes for walks with you. They tell you all their secrets. They hug you when you’re sad. They play games with you. They help you when you’re in a mess and they never let you down. They make you laugh and… err… lots of other things!”
This is the perfect book for learning about friendship, gifting to a friend (old, young, or in between) or just entering a gentle world where two friends noodle along.
