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Moon Mouse
Arthur, a young field mouse, sets out to discover what the moon is made of
34 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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June 21, 2024This book is seriously almost too adorable. Happened to see it in a Little Library where I paused to enjoy this picture book, and then had a better day because of it.
October 10, 2025
With a sweet story by Adelaide Holl and precious illustrations by Cyndy Szekeres, Moon Mouse is a charming little children’s book that encourages discovery, curiosity, and creativity, perfect for kids and dreamers of any age. I found this children’s picture book by chance in a dusty old book of library giveaways, and it captivated me immediately with its sweet concepts and lovely illustrations.
Arthur the field mouse lives in a tiny nest at the edge of a farmer’s cornfield, fascinated with questions that his mother cannot answer about the moon. Curious and adventurous, Arthur ventures out one night to look for the moon himself, traveling far from home to a big city beyond his familiar cornfield. Arthur follows the trail of the full moon until he comes to a tall building, where he finds a wheel of cheese and mistakes it for the moon. Upon returning home, Arthur reunites with his mother and observes the change in the moon’s phase, which he attributes to his nibbling on the cheese wheel.
Moon Mouse is a sheer delight from start to finish. Holl highlights a number of childlike joys — the thrill of staying up past dark for the first time, the breathtaking beauty of the night sky, the endless questions that plague a curious young mind, the dream of traveling to the moon, the vastness of the world in comparison to a small child — while using an age-old story model. The bucolic setting of Arthur’s home creates a perfect atmosphere for a little field mouse who has been raised far from the bigger world, and the big city he travels to by night is appropriately juxtaposed with his cozy little nest in the cornfield. Moon Mouse has elements of a small child’s coming-of-age as well as of a traditional hero’s journey. Arthur’s story is an odyssey narrative in miniature: a spiritual journey in search of heavenly wisdom, a celestial ascension and revelation, followed by a homecoming. Holl even incorporates a humorous hint of the etiological by toying with the myth that the moon is made of cheese, something neither proved nor disproved by Arthur’s quest.
Arthur is the cutest little protagonist, curious and adventurous and intelligent but held back by his inability to get his questions answered. He embarks on a nighttime journey to discover where the moon comes from, why it appears, and what it is made of — he makes no genuine discoveries, but he returns home with a sense of fulfillment and joy. The concept of him traveling to a city and mistaking a huge wheel of cheese for the moon (plus his adorable misconception that he caused the moon to become a crescent because he nibbled on it) captures childhood discoveries in such a precious way. Arthur and his mother are the only two characters in the book; they represent every child and parent who have ever wondered about questions they cannot answer, playing checkers and gathering acorns while pondering the nature of the heavenly bodies. The narrative comes full-circle in the end with mother and son reuniting, the child satisfied by their quest for answers and the parent wondering what their child really discovered.
Szekeres’ illustrations for Moon Mouse are adorable beyond words. Mostly black and white pencil sketches with occasional splashes of yellow accents (the moon, the cheese, Arthur’s jacket, etc.), the illustrations bring this whimsical little story to life. Szekeres underscores the brilliant glory of the moon in all its phases and the cottagecore vibes of a tiny nest of anthropomorphic animals (something I can never resist). Several pages took my breath away with their intricate simplicity, especially the image of tiny Arthur traveling through a golden wheat field vast enough to be an ocean. Szekeres and Holl deal with very familiar motifs from classic children’s literature — the moon, mice, cheese, fields, etc. — but the narrative freshens them up and makes them extra charming all over again.
Moon Mouse unfolds like a child’s dream: innocent, simple, and full of a charming beauty that only a kids’ picture book can convey. It teaches a practical lesson — the ever-changing phases of the moon — while also encouraging kids to seek answers for themselves. Holl and Szekeres achieve a sense of wonder that will enthrall any young reader. I can’t wait to have my own kids one day and share this adorable little book with them; I think I’m a better person just having read it myself.
Arthur the field mouse lives in a tiny nest at the edge of a farmer’s cornfield, fascinated with questions that his mother cannot answer about the moon. Curious and adventurous, Arthur ventures out one night to look for the moon himself, traveling far from home to a big city beyond his familiar cornfield. Arthur follows the trail of the full moon until he comes to a tall building, where he finds a wheel of cheese and mistakes it for the moon. Upon returning home, Arthur reunites with his mother and observes the change in the moon’s phase, which he attributes to his nibbling on the cheese wheel.
Moon Mouse is a sheer delight from start to finish. Holl highlights a number of childlike joys — the thrill of staying up past dark for the first time, the breathtaking beauty of the night sky, the endless questions that plague a curious young mind, the dream of traveling to the moon, the vastness of the world in comparison to a small child — while using an age-old story model. The bucolic setting of Arthur’s home creates a perfect atmosphere for a little field mouse who has been raised far from the bigger world, and the big city he travels to by night is appropriately juxtaposed with his cozy little nest in the cornfield. Moon Mouse has elements of a small child’s coming-of-age as well as of a traditional hero’s journey. Arthur’s story is an odyssey narrative in miniature: a spiritual journey in search of heavenly wisdom, a celestial ascension and revelation, followed by a homecoming. Holl even incorporates a humorous hint of the etiological by toying with the myth that the moon is made of cheese, something neither proved nor disproved by Arthur’s quest.
Arthur is the cutest little protagonist, curious and adventurous and intelligent but held back by his inability to get his questions answered. He embarks on a nighttime journey to discover where the moon comes from, why it appears, and what it is made of — he makes no genuine discoveries, but he returns home with a sense of fulfillment and joy. The concept of him traveling to a city and mistaking a huge wheel of cheese for the moon (plus his adorable misconception that he caused the moon to become a crescent because he nibbled on it) captures childhood discoveries in such a precious way. Arthur and his mother are the only two characters in the book; they represent every child and parent who have ever wondered about questions they cannot answer, playing checkers and gathering acorns while pondering the nature of the heavenly bodies. The narrative comes full-circle in the end with mother and son reuniting, the child satisfied by their quest for answers and the parent wondering what their child really discovered.
Szekeres’ illustrations for Moon Mouse are adorable beyond words. Mostly black and white pencil sketches with occasional splashes of yellow accents (the moon, the cheese, Arthur’s jacket, etc.), the illustrations bring this whimsical little story to life. Szekeres underscores the brilliant glory of the moon in all its phases and the cottagecore vibes of a tiny nest of anthropomorphic animals (something I can never resist). Several pages took my breath away with their intricate simplicity, especially the image of tiny Arthur traveling through a golden wheat field vast enough to be an ocean. Szekeres and Holl deal with very familiar motifs from classic children’s literature — the moon, mice, cheese, fields, etc. — but the narrative freshens them up and makes them extra charming all over again.
Moon Mouse unfolds like a child’s dream: innocent, simple, and full of a charming beauty that only a kids’ picture book can convey. It teaches a practical lesson — the ever-changing phases of the moon — while also encouraging kids to seek answers for themselves. Holl and Szekeres achieve a sense of wonder that will enthrall any young reader. I can’t wait to have my own kids one day and share this adorable little book with them; I think I’m a better person just having read it myself.
January 6, 2021
This is one of the books I most fondly remember from my childhood...I still have my beaten up copy...I’m now 56!
August 2, 2024
Charming with a sweet sense of humor.
March 10, 2008
this was one of my very favorite books as a child. it's about a country mouse who believes the moon is made of cheese. the drawings are essentially pencil etchings, with only the moon in color (yellow). i was lucky enough to have my dad read me a story every night growing up and i picked this particular book quite often. :o)
July 19, 2014
One of my absolute favorite books as a child. I could not remember the title of it for the longest time and was finally able to find a used copy on Amazon.com.
April 11, 2015
Probably the first book I remember as a kid. I would check this out of the Whitehall library so often that they should have just given me the damn thing.
December 28, 2013
Great memories of my mom reading this book to me.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews