Moon Man

by Tomi Ungerer

"The bright, galloping illustrations are as effective as any Tomi Ungerer has done. This has some of the sting of Dr Strangelove but tenderized, the contemporary charisma of Where the Wild Things Are; it's great! Exceptionally highly recommended." Kirkus Reviews, 1967 In this gently satiric fable, Ungerer pokes fun at self-important adults who are afraid of anything or anyone unfamiliar, and reminds us that there is indeed no place like home. On its first publication in the US in 1967, at the height of the Space Race, Moon Man won the Book Week prize for books for children aged 4 8, and Maurice Sendak described it in Book Week as 'Easily one of the bet picture books in recent years' Since then, it has been translated into 12 languages. Moon Man will be the next classic Ungerer tale to be turned into a full-length feature film, following on from the success of the award-winning The Three Robbers, which was shown in French and German cinemas in 2007 and is due to be launched on DVD in the English-speaking world in Fall 2008. Bored and lonely in his shimmering home in space, the Moon Man watches the people on Earth dancing and having a good time. Just once, he thinks, he would like to join in the fun. So one night, he holds on to a passing comet and crash lands on Earth. But the unexpected arrival of this mysterious visitor causes statesmen, scientists and generals to panic, and the Moon Man is thrown into jail. brbrAlone in his cell, the Moon Man uses his special powers to slip through the hands of the law; it turns out that in accordance with the lunar phases, the Moon Man waxes and wanes. His left side starts to disappear the Moon Man is his third quarter and as the moon grows thinner and thinner, so does the Moon Man. Finally, he is able to squeeze through the bars of his window and escape. Two weeks later, and once again fully formed, he enjoys his new-found freedom on Earth, and dances happily for hours at a party where all the other guests are wearing elaborate costumes and simply think he has dressed up as the Man in the Moon. But the police are on his trail, and a wild chase ensues. brbrFleeing through a forest, Moon Man finds a remote castle, where he is welcomed by an ancient, long-forgotten scientist named Doktor Bunsen van der Dunkel, who has been working on a space ship for centuries, with the aim of flying to the moon. Now too old and fat to fit into the completed rocket himself, Doktor van der Dunkel asks Moon Man to be the first passenger. Knowing that he would never be able to live on Earth in peace, Moon Man returns home to his planet, happy to stay there forever now that his curiosity has been sated. Back on Earth, Doktor van der Dunkel finally gets the recognition he deserves for his scientific breakthrough.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, France, Classics, Space

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Jean-Thomas "Tomi" Ungerer was a French illustrator best known for his erotic and political illustrations as well as children's books.

Reviews

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got back from the library with my kids the other day and I found Jean de la Lune (Moon Man) in the albums! I knew I knew it, but couldn't figure out how.

Turns out it was one my parents read to me when I was a kid. Just did the same tonight.

The circle is complete!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tired of watching the fun of human life unfold on the planet far below, the Moon Man hitches a ride on the tail of a comet and comes to Earth. Met with fear and suspicion on his landing, he is immediately imprisoned, only to escape when his waning form allows him to slip free from his chains. After a brief interlude at a party, the Moon Man is once again on the run from the authorities, taking refuge in an old castle belonging to a long-forgotten scientist who helps him to get home.

Originally published in 1966 in German as Der Mondmann, this classic picture-book was (according to the dust-jacket blurb) described by no less an artist as Maurice Sendak as "easily one of the best picture books in recent years," upon its initial release. It's easy to see why Sendak held that opinion, as Moon Man is an amusing, entertaining, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking story, one which captures the regrettable human penchant for resorting to aggression, when faced with the unknown. It is also a visually arresting book, with Tomi Ungerer's signature artwork, so bold and colorful, so expressive and engaging. I really regret that I never encountered Ungerer's work as a child, as I suspect that he would have been a favorite. Still, there's time enough as an adult to rectify that oversight...

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually one of the very first books I remember from early childhood. It had been translated into Welsh and was one I enjoyed looking through repeatedly at Nursery. The Moon Man catching the tail of a comet and the saucer-eyed blue owl are images that I know will stay with me for all of my days.
I managed to return to it for my dissertation when I was looking at philosophy for children through picturebooks. You can tell, by this stage, that Ungerer is becoming a master of both image and text and story. Ungerer states in his book Tomi Ungerer: A Treasury of 8 Books that he sees creativity and the moon linked together and this book, as he states, is one the imagines a world where the moon himself, captivated by the people who populate it, decided to be with them and join in with their dancing.
On arriving, however, he finds himself segregated and jailed for his differences. Ungerer describes this as the same experience he had when he first arrived in New York. His image of the Moon Man being chased through the woods is also another nod to Ungerer's own escape from the Russian Army. Reading the connections between the story and Ungerer's own life just enriches the reading experience but I know, again, that it is his wonderful pictures and my imagination captured that will stay with me.

[Vanessa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! I always love reading this to my boys.

[Aline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joli petit album. Une belle manière de parler de différence, de solitude et d'être bien là où l'on est. Les enfants adorent !

[Mollie B · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. Good for storytime, but lacks pizzazz. Also, the artwork is kind of creepy.

[Po Po · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best things of all time

[Seizure Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ungerer clearly has no grasp of astrophysics. A comet doesn't have a "fiery tail!" Ridiculous.

He does understand people, though. "Alas, a grumpy killjoy complained of the late music to the police" is only the tip of the iceberg. Earth is no place for you, Moon Man. You are safer at home.

When I was in 1st or 2nd grade I read this in the school library many times, and it was amazing.

[NoNieqa Ramos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Caused my child an existential crisis. Under-the-skin creepy. Pessimistic.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The moon man wants to go to Earth to see what it is like, he is lonely on the moon. But he finds he is viewed with suspicion and fear and locked up for being an invader. As he changes with the moon phases, he is able to escape prison and finds himself in the hands of a scientist who wants to go to the moon but has gotten too old and infirm to do it. He flies moon man back home and becomes celebrated as his theories are proven true. Moon man decides that he is best off not being associated with Earthlings and the scientist is proud of himself. An ironic twist to the space program as seen by the author in 1966. Very poignant. I think this book is relevant today as we see immigrants and refugees vilified and imprisoned trying to reach the US today only to be locked up and accused of invading the country.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative tale about the man on the moon, who comes down to earth to dance.

[Dactylaura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 🌟 c’était hyper mims en plus je l’ai lu dans un format tout petit hihi

[Mongeta Verda · Rating 4 out of 5]

les històries de tomi ungerer sempre són molt maques

[Dina H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mon neveu m’a demandé « pourquoi la police ils cassent tout le temps la tête ? » et j’ai pas su quoi lui répondre

J’ai pas aimé les dessins, et j’ai pas trop aimé en vrai l’histoire est bien mais l’écriture est bof. Une petite déception je vous avoue 😒

[Oliver Jeffers · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child I was captivated by the vibrancy of the artwork in Moon Man. Returning to it years later, I discovered what a profound inspiration Ungerer had been to me as an artist. Revisiting the story as an adult also allowed me to take in it’s message on a deeper level. I see it as a fairly heavy criticism of humankind, that we tend to destroy the things we do not understand.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A library patron recommended this to me. It's a sweet, kind of sad story about how the man in the moon is lonely and wants to join the earth people. The illustrations were pretty and I enjoyed the story!

[madziar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Na księżycu żyje Księżycolud - w niektóre noce można dojrzeć zarys jego postaci. Biały stwór marzy o tym, by kiedyś dostać się na Ziemię, tam gdzie ludzie bawią się i tańczą, więc gdy tylko nadarza się okazja, przyłącza się do spadającej gwiazdy i zachwyca wszystkim, co spotyka. Ale jest stworem z księżyca, a zapatrzony w radość ludzi nie dostrzega tego, jak zwykli postępować z obcymi. Siedząc na twardej ławce w więzieniu, z kulą u nogi, zaczyna rozumieć, że tylko uznany za swojego może wziąć udział w ich zabawach. Znika, ale zanim zrobi to zupełnie, bierze udział w balu przebierańców, by po ostatnim balu opuścić z pomocą pewnego naukowca Ziemię na zawsze.
Uniwersalna opowieść o istotach wykluczonych z powodu swojego wyglądu, które marzą o tym, by grupa uznała ich za swoich.
W ilustracjach dominują kolory podstawowe, podobne do palety z dziecięcych kolorowanek, na czarnym tle.

[Mladoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une histoire poétique et magnifiquement illustrée. Jean de la Lune s'ennuie là haut et décide de se rendre sur la Terre. Malheureusement, les hommes le craignent et le pourchassent. Mais tous les hommes ne sont pas semblables et un savant l'aide à rentrer chez lui.

On reconnait au premier coup d'œil le style graphique de Tomi Ungerer : des couleurs assez sombres, tranchés et pourtant une poésie magique se dégage de cette histoire. Une ode à la tolérance, à l'imaginaire et à la découverte de l'inconnu. Au-delà des apparences, se cachent bien des secrets merveilleux. A voir également la superbe adaptation en film d'animation par Stephan Schesch.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man in the moon decides to come down to Earth, but his visit gets off to a rocky start.



Fortunately he does get to have some fun before returning to the place he truly belongs.



This is a charming and unusual children's book. First published in 2009, it has a much older feel to it.
Quite enjoyable.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon man wants to visit Earth so he does until he realizes how horrible it is and he goes back to the moon. Yeah I get it, Moon Man. Not to be a complete downer about Earth but this book does a good job of demonstrating how if you look different and come from a different place, people often shun you or even seek to harm you. But when you’re accepted by people as one of their own, it can be a lovely time. A whole adventure! Loved the art and pacing of the story.

[Kate Nichter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not a big fan of this book. It seems like many kids would not understand the underlying story as well as be upset by the illustrations. The setting takes place in a galaxy then on a planet within a jail cell. The setting changed on almost every page. I am wanting to read this book with a monotone voice rather than excited or sad.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

O que eu gosto do Tomi Ungerer é que ele claramente se importa 0 com o que as pessoas vão achar das histórias dele. Dá pra ver que ele só conta umas historinhas sem noção porque isso faz ele feliz e fica por isso mesmo.
A arte do livro é muito linda e sou apaixonada pela paleta de cores que é super vibrante mesmo com tanto BG preto.

[Jeimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate this book because it shows how cruel humans can be to those who are different. This is also what makes this book, first published in 1966, so relevant today; which makes it even more heartbreaking.

Moon Man was a gentle, nature-loving soul and he had cops shooting at him for no reason. How many times have we heard similar stories in the 21st century?

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man in the moon envied people dancing on Earth, so he caught a ride on the tail of a comet. At first his arrival on Earth wasn't as happy as he'd anticipated, but when the phase of the moon changed, things changed for him. Wonderful illustrations.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'étais curieuse de découvrir cette version alsacienne d'un album de l'enfant du pays, Tomi Ungerer.
Si je ne suis pas fan des images dans cet album, je trouve l'histoire toutefois touchante et jolie.
Une belle lecture.

[Flora Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. I saw it in use in a Year 3/4 classroom, 5 weeks 5 genres on this book. Reading one page and then creating a piece of writing, the children were so excited and absolutely loved it!

[Aeven Amai · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est toujours un plaisir de relire cet album qui a bercé toute mon enfance ! Les illustrations sont tellement expressives, et douces à la fois, et le texte toujours aussi captivant. Une de mes sources s'inspiration préférée :)

[Nitoy Gonzales · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't find anything special with this story other than the Moon Man changes like the moon changes it's phases. I was hoping a more exciting narrative. The ending was hurried and I didn't appreciate the old scientist part of the story.

[Yesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesomely weird book that will fascinate my nephew!

[Souly Peerage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eines meiner absoluten Lieblingskinderbüchern. Eine rührende Geschichte darüber, dass es wo anders nicht immer besser ist