Little Harvest Mouse goes searching for the moon when that heavenly body disappears one dark night, discovering that Duck, Squirrel and Rabbit also have a special relationship with her. Each animal thinks the moon is his, and that she lives in a different place - in the pond, in the tree, in the mountains - but after they survive a storm together and the moon reappears, they realize that she belongs to them all...

British author/illustrator team M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton, who are probably best known for their series of picture-books about Little Hedgehog and his friends, return to the sweet anthropomorphic animal story in Mouse and the Moon. Pairing an engaging tale with cute illustrations, the book would make a good bedtime story for younger picture-book audiences who enjoy such fare. It has a bit of sparkle in the artwork, in the form of the moon, which will undoubtedly have added appeal for some. ( )

big, bold, sparkly pictures ( )