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What the moon saw
English and simplified Chinese edition of What the Moon Saw by Hans Christian Andersen - a collection of 33 stories accompanied by illustrations. In Simplified Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
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First published January 1, 1866
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About the author
Hans Christian Andersen
7,972 books3,569 followersHans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.
Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.
Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 23, 2020
Andersen mentions his book “A picture book without pictures” more than once in his autobiography. When I started reading it, I recognized it as a childhood tale, “What the Moon Saw”, very short poetic sketches of life around the world. My edition has 30 nights, I found two more online.
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December 4, 2013So, um…I guess we're all just gonna look the other way on this one?
"I am very fond of children," said the Moon, "especially the little ones, who are so amusing. When they are not thinking of me at all, I peep into the room, between the curtain and the window frame. I like to watch them dressing and undressing. First the round, naked little shoulder comes creeping out of the frock, and then the arm slides out; or else I watch the stocking being drawn off, and a sweet little leg, so white and firm, appears, with a little white foot that's fit to be kissed - and I kiss it too!"
"I am very fond of children," said the Moon, "especially the little ones, who are so amusing. When they are not thinking of me at all, I peep into the room, between the curtain and the window frame. I like to watch them dressing and undressing. First the round, naked little shoulder comes creeping out of the frock, and then the arm slides out; or else I watch the stocking being drawn off, and a sweet little leg, so white and firm, appears, with a little white foot that's fit to be kissed - and I kiss it too!"
April 14, 2026
I discovered What the Moon Saw when I was a teenager and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s an unconventional tale that eschews Hans Christian Andersen’s usual fairytale style for more of an episodic series of unconnected vignettes, all dealing with human nature, sorrow and joy, tragedy and loss, contentment and simplicity. It’s tinged in ironic humor and characterized by Andersen’s vivid imagery, a kaleidoscopic view of a writer with a myriad of interests and a flair for capturing evocative, emotionally stirring moments of humanity.
In the framing narrative for What the Moon Saw, a young artist, who has just moved from the country to the bustling city of Copenhagen, finds himself lonely and uninspired as he attempts to make sketches. One night, the Moon appears through the artist’s window and offers to stop in and tell him stories that the artist can use as inspiration for his pictures; thus, almost every night, the Moon tells the artist a story of something he has seen in his ancient circuits around the earth. Andersen’s tale depicts a recurring companionship between the artist and the Moon for at least thirty-one nights (there are thirty-two evenings listed, but the Moon doesn’t come on the artist’s eighth night).
Most of Andersen’s fairytales are on the lengthy side, and What the Moon Saw is a great example of that; a series of vignettes on a wide variety of topics, recorded in what could almost be called an epistolary litany à la One Thousand and One Nights. Andersen’s writing is characterized by exceptionally rich detail and description, making it perfect for children of his time who were curious about other lands and customs. I was repeatedly amazed by Andersen’s ability to create brief but gut-punching images in his stories: images like the clergyman’s daughter dying under a crown of roses and a burning curtain, the dead city of Pompeii brought to life by a modern singer, and the grieving Pulcinella visiting his love’s grave by moonlight have been stuck in my head for years. What the Moon Saw is remarkable not only in its scope of storytelling but in its ability to create compelling miniature stories, microcosms of the joys and tragedies we face every day.
Andersen must have been remarkably well-read and well-traveled, because What the Moon Saw is brimming over with detailed descriptions of landscapes, wildlife, architecture, and foreign customs. Though many of the stories take place in his native Copenhagen, Andersen utilizes a wide range of time periods and places — countries like Germany, India, Greenland, and China and cities like Paris, Pompeii, Naples, Venice, and Rome. All of the Moon’s stories take place in real places, and some even include real-life historical figures like Torquato Tasso and Eleanora d’Este, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Gutle Rothschild. What the Moon Saw was probably intended to be as much of a history, geography, and anthropology lesson for kids just as much as it was supposed to be a whimsical fairytale. Andersen writes this fairytale in a style that seems to welcome readers of all ages rather than limiting his scope to children only. Obviously, there are some topics in here that parents might discuss with their kids before reading (suicide in particular), but there’s nothing that an informed child couldn’t handle. My personal favorite stories are the fifth, tenth, eleventh, fifteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth, and twenty-third nights, but I love the language and imagery of all the stories.
The Moon has been an object of fascination for practically every culture on earth, and he is a distinctly benevolent presence in What the Moon Saw. Timeless, immovable, and reassuring, he acts as an inspirational muse for our unnamed artist, a friendly familiar face in a city that seems hostile to a newcomer. Andersen’s Moon is as richly characterized as the humans he studies; he’s curious and observant, an ancient and ever-learning surveyor of human nature, filled with opinions and philosophies. He is ever-present and all-seeing, a vaguely mythological presence who witnesses all the things we do and say after dark. He can communicate with the artist, though he never seems to interfere in human affairs in the stories he tells. There’s a comforting aspect to the Moon’s presence here — he’s a constant companion, rejoicing when people meet with success and mourning their tragic losses. The stories the Moon tells are all presented as facts rather than fiction, telling about the joys and sorrows of everyday life in a detached yet sympathetic tone. Though he is limited by the constraints of nature (the passage of time, clouds, etc.), he has special viewpoints to which humans are not privy. The Moon is uniquely capable of understanding the bigger picture we often miss, since he can see the full scope of time and place, which enables him to navigate the smaller everyday trappings humans fall prey to.
What the Moon Saw isn’t entirely cohesive: each story is independent and simply meant to reflect whatever happens to be on the Moon’s mind that night, whether it’s something he saw the night before on a local street or centuries ago in a faraway land. Still, that episodic structure works perfectly for Andersen, and its contents are so varied and wondrous that you can’t help finding parallels in the tales, if only in the things the Moon is often preoccupied with. Andersen mostly deals with simple tales: life, death, memory, love, family, kindness, cruelty, joy, and sorrow. Youth, beauty, and the performing arts appear frequently; Andersen’s favorite types of characters seem to be wise young women and innocent children. The Moon sees the world as a place of dazzling variety, full of personality and magic, covered in an array of wonderful landscapes. Other themes aren’t so lovely — the Moon often tells stories about tragic deaths, ruined cities, doomed lovers, and suicidal performers. Many stories feature the unjust struggles of life, the unpredictable twists of fate, the frailty of human power, and the inevitability of ruin. Sadness and darkness are part of the reality of life, and Andersen does a good job of balancing that with the simple joys and beauty of life. Almost every story has some kind of moral or philosophical observation by the Moon, whether it be from a person the Moon has observed or from the Moon himself.
What the Moon Saw is a fascinating glimpse into the nineteenth-century fascination with other cultures, but even more, it is a timeless depiction of how timeless yet fleeting human passions are. The Moon is a singularly memorable character among Andersen’s many, and this series of tales — some tragic, some heartwarming, some soothing, some weird, but all contemplative — stands out to me as a major accomplishment (and a personal favorite of mine!) for a writer with so many other classics to his name.
You can read a full breakdown of my thoughts on each tale here, since I ran out of characters according to Goodreads' policies.
Link to What the Moon Saw on Gilead
In the framing narrative for What the Moon Saw, a young artist, who has just moved from the country to the bustling city of Copenhagen, finds himself lonely and uninspired as he attempts to make sketches. One night, the Moon appears through the artist’s window and offers to stop in and tell him stories that the artist can use as inspiration for his pictures; thus, almost every night, the Moon tells the artist a story of something he has seen in his ancient circuits around the earth. Andersen’s tale depicts a recurring companionship between the artist and the Moon for at least thirty-one nights (there are thirty-two evenings listed, but the Moon doesn’t come on the artist’s eighth night).
Most of Andersen’s fairytales are on the lengthy side, and What the Moon Saw is a great example of that; a series of vignettes on a wide variety of topics, recorded in what could almost be called an epistolary litany à la One Thousand and One Nights. Andersen’s writing is characterized by exceptionally rich detail and description, making it perfect for children of his time who were curious about other lands and customs. I was repeatedly amazed by Andersen’s ability to create brief but gut-punching images in his stories: images like the clergyman’s daughter dying under a crown of roses and a burning curtain, the dead city of Pompeii brought to life by a modern singer, and the grieving Pulcinella visiting his love’s grave by moonlight have been stuck in my head for years. What the Moon Saw is remarkable not only in its scope of storytelling but in its ability to create compelling miniature stories, microcosms of the joys and tragedies we face every day.
Andersen must have been remarkably well-read and well-traveled, because What the Moon Saw is brimming over with detailed descriptions of landscapes, wildlife, architecture, and foreign customs. Though many of the stories take place in his native Copenhagen, Andersen utilizes a wide range of time periods and places — countries like Germany, India, Greenland, and China and cities like Paris, Pompeii, Naples, Venice, and Rome. All of the Moon’s stories take place in real places, and some even include real-life historical figures like Torquato Tasso and Eleanora d’Este, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Gutle Rothschild. What the Moon Saw was probably intended to be as much of a history, geography, and anthropology lesson for kids just as much as it was supposed to be a whimsical fairytale. Andersen writes this fairytale in a style that seems to welcome readers of all ages rather than limiting his scope to children only. Obviously, there are some topics in here that parents might discuss with their kids before reading (suicide in particular), but there’s nothing that an informed child couldn’t handle. My personal favorite stories are the fifth, tenth, eleventh, fifteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth, and twenty-third nights, but I love the language and imagery of all the stories.
The Moon has been an object of fascination for practically every culture on earth, and he is a distinctly benevolent presence in What the Moon Saw. Timeless, immovable, and reassuring, he acts as an inspirational muse for our unnamed artist, a friendly familiar face in a city that seems hostile to a newcomer. Andersen’s Moon is as richly characterized as the humans he studies; he’s curious and observant, an ancient and ever-learning surveyor of human nature, filled with opinions and philosophies. He is ever-present and all-seeing, a vaguely mythological presence who witnesses all the things we do and say after dark. He can communicate with the artist, though he never seems to interfere in human affairs in the stories he tells. There’s a comforting aspect to the Moon’s presence here — he’s a constant companion, rejoicing when people meet with success and mourning their tragic losses. The stories the Moon tells are all presented as facts rather than fiction, telling about the joys and sorrows of everyday life in a detached yet sympathetic tone. Though he is limited by the constraints of nature (the passage of time, clouds, etc.), he has special viewpoints to which humans are not privy. The Moon is uniquely capable of understanding the bigger picture we often miss, since he can see the full scope of time and place, which enables him to navigate the smaller everyday trappings humans fall prey to.
What the Moon Saw isn’t entirely cohesive: each story is independent and simply meant to reflect whatever happens to be on the Moon’s mind that night, whether it’s something he saw the night before on a local street or centuries ago in a faraway land. Still, that episodic structure works perfectly for Andersen, and its contents are so varied and wondrous that you can’t help finding parallels in the tales, if only in the things the Moon is often preoccupied with. Andersen mostly deals with simple tales: life, death, memory, love, family, kindness, cruelty, joy, and sorrow. Youth, beauty, and the performing arts appear frequently; Andersen’s favorite types of characters seem to be wise young women and innocent children. The Moon sees the world as a place of dazzling variety, full of personality and magic, covered in an array of wonderful landscapes. Other themes aren’t so lovely — the Moon often tells stories about tragic deaths, ruined cities, doomed lovers, and suicidal performers. Many stories feature the unjust struggles of life, the unpredictable twists of fate, the frailty of human power, and the inevitability of ruin. Sadness and darkness are part of the reality of life, and Andersen does a good job of balancing that with the simple joys and beauty of life. Almost every story has some kind of moral or philosophical observation by the Moon, whether it be from a person the Moon has observed or from the Moon himself.
What the Moon Saw is a fascinating glimpse into the nineteenth-century fascination with other cultures, but even more, it is a timeless depiction of how timeless yet fleeting human passions are. The Moon is a singularly memorable character among Andersen’s many, and this series of tales — some tragic, some heartwarming, some soothing, some weird, but all contemplative — stands out to me as a major accomplishment (and a personal favorite of mine!) for a writer with so many other classics to his name.
You can read a full breakdown of my thoughts on each tale here, since I ran out of characters according to Goodreads' policies.
Link to What the Moon Saw on Gilead
December 31, 2015
The first evening the moon spoke is my favorite and honestly the other evenings were more of a let down. The first will be well remembered.
September 26, 2025
საოცრად ლამაზი ისტორიებია მთვარის მოყოლილი... ვიმოგზაურე ნილოსზე...უდაბნოში..ჩინეთში... ვენეციაში... პარიზში...დანიაში...შვედეთში... მთელ მთელ ულამაზეს და ჯადოსნურ დედამიწაზე... სევდიანი თუ სახალისო ამბებით ❤️
September 26, 2025
უკარგესი და უკეთილესი ზღაპრებია ან იგავები, მთვარის მოყოლილი ❤️
March 22, 2018
This tale was very long winded and quite forgettable.
December 12, 2012
My first time reading Hans, and I opted for his lesser-known collection of tales.
It was something I would read snippets of here and there between other books, in pursuit of never being without something to read during my long daily transits.
Some are quite cute, many have somewhat jaded messages, or depressing ones altogether. Whenever I read a collection of shorts, I tend to want to fly through them instead of really getting involved~ I'm not sure why. Too many goodbyes?
Anyway, it was an OK way to pass the time~ full of the classic author's voice. What a busy quill he kept.
It was something I would read snippets of here and there between other books, in pursuit of never being without something to read during my long daily transits.
Some are quite cute, many have somewhat jaded messages, or depressing ones altogether. Whenever I read a collection of shorts, I tend to want to fly through them instead of really getting involved~ I'm not sure why. Too many goodbyes?
Anyway, it was an OK way to pass the time~ full of the classic author's voice. What a busy quill he kept.
July 10, 2014
Look I personally did not enjoy it all well I put it down not even half way through it was always dark sad and gave grief to me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews