The Moon Shines Down

By Margaret Wise Brown and Linda Bleck

The Moon Shines Down

by Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by Linda Bleck  

Forgotten for decades in a dusty, tucked-away trunk, The Moon Shines Down brings to life once more the unmistakable voice of Margaret Wise Brown. This soon-to-be classic allows a whole new generation of children to discover, cherish, and enjoy the artistry of this beloved author.

Never before published, The Moon Shines Down on children all over the world from right next door to across the sea, from where “a Dutch boy dreams” and “cowbells ring” to “across the sea in the Far, Far East”, through the familiar prayer:

I see the Moon

And the Moon sees me.

God bless the Moon,

And God bless me.

Margaret Wise Brown (1910–1952) was a pioneer of children’s literature, choosing to write the stories that children wanted to hear—rather than those that grown-ups wanted to tell. She is best known for her now classic Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny, which remain among the world’s best-selling children’s books.

Margaret was a prolific writer, and, at the peak of her career, she had over 100 books in print. Her untimely death left numerous manuscripts and ideas behind in various stages of completion. After a time, these were tucked away in a cedar trunk and largely forgotten. It is from this forgotten trunk that The Moon Shines Down was rescued. 

Illustrator Linda Bleck began her artistic career as a child, drawing on rolls of old blueprint paper supplied by her architect father. Later, she helped her mother, a freelance illustrator for Hallmark, paint in the details of her intricate drawings. Linda’s work has appeared in The NewYorker, Time Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. She is also the writer and illustrator of the “Pepper the Dog” series, which won the National Parenting Publication Award.

Linda and her family now live in southern Wisconsin . . . where the moon shines down on them, one and all.

The Story Behind the Lost Manuscript . . . 

The Moon Shines Down

from MARGARET WISE BROWN,

the Author of Goodnight Moon 

The Moon Shines Down is being published for the first time 56 years after the death of the beloved children’s author Margaret Wise Brown.

Amazingly, this unpublished manuscript lay incomplete and forgotten in a cedar trunk in a Vermont barn. When it was discovered, the onionskin paper had yellowed and the paperclips that held the pages together had rusted. Children’s book publisher, Laura Minchew, a longtime fan of Brown, took on the challenge to complete the work.

Based on the New England Sampler prayer, “God Bless the Moon and God Bless Me,” this soon-to-be bedtime classic is a prayer for God’s blessing on all the world’s children.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Nov 4, 2008
• ISBN: 9781418578114

Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown, author of dozens of beloved children’s books including GOODNIGHT MOON and RUNAWAY BUNNY, transformed children’s book writing into an artform unlike any other.

Reviews for The Moon Shines Down

[Rachel Trudel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. I read it to my 1st son every night and now I get to enjoy it again with my second. Such a beautifully written book that is timeless. Definitely something to read to your kids or grandchildren.

[vnwender · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great bedtime story for children. This book is about all of the places that the moon is at night.

[lwmasters · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Moon Shines Down is a picture book full of beautiful, colorful story. It is beautifully written, the words flow so smoothly. It is a perfect bedtime story. It also shows many different cultures.

[foreigncircus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Developed from a manuscript lost for decades, the story behind the story of this book is almost better than the book itself. Margaret Wise Brown, author of such beloved children's classics as Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny, left behind this manuscript (and others) in a cedar trunk. Now 56 years after her death, The Moon Shines Down was finished by children's book publisher Laura Minchew.Though there are rough patches in some of the verses, children are unlikely to notice the problems with the rhythm. The illustrations are sure to please children and adults alike, and helped me overlook the issues with the text. One note- the illustrations bear no resemblance to those of Wise Brown’s classic books, so readers hoping to recapture that era may be disappointed. Because of the frequent mention of God, this book would not be appropriate for many settings; teachers looking for classroom books may want to check this book out of the library for review before making a final decision on purchase. All in all, this is a wonderful addition to the Wise Brown canon. The charming rhymes and glimpses of children around the world make for a lovely global message of a bedtime story.

[kleiner_2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Moon Shines Down resulted from Laura Minchew “completing” Margaret Wise Brown’s manuscript based on the prayer I See the Moon.Sadly, The Moon Shines Down is not engaging due to the lack of overall structure. The voice flips between the third and first person. The premise of the book is the moon shining down on different areas of the world, but the places described seem random – humans and different cultures, animals and different environments, humans and animals sleeping or dancing. The scenes of Christmas only in one place in the world and the sun, not the moon, shining over Asia are completely out of place. The rhythm of the verse is awkward and the rhymes are forced, especially when the author attempts to include word references to specific parts of the world – Laotian, edelweiss, and Zuider Zee.Linda Bleck’s illustrations are bright and cheerful, vibrantly depicting the golden shine of the moon. While each illustration depicts a scene described in a verse, Bleck introduced a koala that sporadically serves as the apparent narrator or traveler in the book, but is not mentioned in the poem and adds to the overall awkwardness the book. To Bleck’s credit, the concept of a cuddly animal serving as the traveler following the moon (and the poem) around the world would have been a delightful way to present the story.Minchew saw an opportunity when Brown’s unpublished manuscript was found – an opportunity to recapture the voice of a beloved author and exploit her popularity. In actuality, The Moon Shines Down is a missed opportunity to use a beautiful sentiment – God Bless the Moon and God Bless Me - to tell an endearing story.

[cherryblossommj_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Honestly, this is probably one of the best children's books I have ever had the privilege to read. It has a wonderful rhythm that is reminiscent of her most well known and loved book "Goodnight Moon". But this book is so much more than that. This story has longer stanzas per page and is perfect for a read-to or a learning-to-read story. It is short enough for nap or bedtime, and long enough to be a one book night and to cause conversations and questions. The moon shines down on all the world, and this book is an educational tool to teach about the people and some animals around all the world.For me this book is an absolute winner and I am so grateful that it was found and plan that my entire family should have a copy of their own.