Book review: A magical tale that will captivate all ages

Emma Pearl's magical story Mending the Moon combined with Sara Ugolotti's whimsical illustrations results in a book that will capture the imagination of generations to come. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Mending the Moon, by Emma Pearl

Illustrated by Sara Ugolotti

Reviewer: Ilona Hanne

This whimsical book makes for a perfect bedtime read, with beautifully lyrical text taking the reader/listener on a magical adventure.

The story follows the journey of a young girl called Luna and her grandfather, Poppa. When Luna witnesses the moon tumble out of the sky one night, shattering into pieces as it landed on earth, Luna knows she has to help mend it.

Her Poppa agrees, explaining the moon is “more important than you can imagine” and the pair set out to find the pieces of the moon. The task is greater than they are but they are not the only ones who know how important the moon is, and they are assisted by a range of creatures, great and small, as they set to work mending the moon.

Emma Pearl has imagined a fantastical yet believable world in this book, and in Luna she has created a lovable and relatable character who young readers will immediately connect with. The story itself has the feel of an old folktale or myth, yet with a contemporary message that makes it well suited to being a classroom asset in kindergartens and primary schools anywhere in the world.

The story covers themes such as the importance of teamwork, of helping others and of the need to care for our environment and world, but does so in a way that feels enchanting rather than sermonising.

It’s the perfect book to read with a small child as a bedtime story because the lyrical language is perfectly suited to a gentle, restful read, but the story is just as suited to a classroom or kindergarten setting where the illustrations and storyline will have young listeners engaged and ready to talk about all the creatures they meet on the pages.

Sara Ugolotti’s beautiful illustrations bring Emma Pearl’s words to life with the characters almost leaping off the page, and the images match the whimsical, folktale style of the story perfectly. The book is the perfect gift for a baby shower or toddler birthday, and is likely to become a fast favourite with even the pickiest of young bookworms. Given it is likely to quickly become a regularly requested bedtime or classroom read, the good news for adults is that this charming tale is anything but tiresome and adult readers will enjoy revisiting Luna and her Poppa’s world just as much as children will.

WIN: Emma Pearl has kindly given us a copy of the book to give away to one lucky reader. To be in to win, simply email your name and contact phone number to editor@stratfordpress.co.nz and put the word Moon in the subject line. Alternatively, call 06 969 4024 to enter. Competition closes at noon on Wednesday, February 22, and the winner will be contacted that afternoon.