Mr Squirrel & the Moon is a clever, funny book that will have kids squirming with delight over their possession of insider knowledge regarding how the moon came to land in Mr Squirrel's tree.

The lightly colored action pages are interrupted by grayscale spreads illustrating Mr Squirrel's interpretation of what might happen to him (and the other animals) if they're caught in possession of the stolen moon. Some of the details in these grayscale spreads are quite small, so readers will need to look closely to fully appreciate Mr Squirrel's thoughts.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley. ( )

Delightful bedtime story for young children. The squirrel is a unique choice of animal for this book. Given the inquisitive and rambunctious nature of squirrels make it a wonderful choice for the book. One can almost visualize the furry tail and anxious energy while attempting to return the moon to its rightful place.
This book was reviewed as ARC. ( )

I liked the book Mr. Squirrel and the Moon by Sebastian Meschenmoser for two reasons. I liked that the book requires its readers to use their imagination and that the book does not have too many words. Since the book is fantasy fiction, the story is impossible to actually occur. There is no way that the moon could land on the branch of a tree. Readers will have to use their imagination while reading. Mr. Squirrel and the Moon does not have an overwhelming amount of text on each page which I think would be good for beginning readers and/ or those who may not enjoy reading. For example, there are pages in the book with no words, expect that of illustrations. I also liked that the illustrations created movement. The book has a picture of the squirrel attempting to push the moon off of its branch which is displayed with two pages. The illustrations in these two pages show the progress the squirrel had made in pushing the moon off its branch. The overall message of Mr. Squirrel and the Moon would be to think before reacting. I think this is an important message for all readers to think before doing something you may not be able to take back. ( )

When the 'moon' lands on his tree one day, Mr. Squirrel panics, believing that he will be blamed for its disappearance from the sky, and perhaps taken as the thief who stole it. After much strenuous exertion, he manages to budge the massive golden circle, only to watch it fall upon a hedgehog, there to become stuck. Nothing dislodges the persistent 'moon' until a billy goat arrives and butts it with his horns. In the end, however, it falls to a group of hungry mice to free everyone involved. But what will become of the moon, now that it is mostly eaten..?

Originally published in German as "Herr Eichhorn und der Mond," this delightfully humorous picture-book is the second of Sebastian Meschenmoser's woodland adventures devoted to the doings of Mr. Squirrel. The first, Waiting for Winter, was a personal favorite the year I read it, and I recall wishing at that time that some of the author/artist's other work would be translated into English. Well, wish granted! I found Mr. Squirrel and the Moon immensely amusing - the scenes in which he imagines himself and an ever-growing number of co-conspirators in jail are priceless! - and enjoyed the detailed pencil artwork immensely. Mr. Squirrel himself is masterfully captured in all his frenetically emotional glory. Recommended to young readers who enjoy animal stories, particularly those with a humorous bent, as well as to admirers of Meschenmoser's artwork. ( )

I don't know why it took me so long to read and review this book. I loved Waiting for Winter and read this to much laughter from the kids every year.

So, the story begins with a wordless spread on the endpages, showing a cart full of objects, one of which bounces away and....lands on Squirrel's tree. Mr. Squirrel wakes up and immediately goes into full-blown panic. The moon has fallen out of the sky! People will think he has stolen it! Visions of himself in a tiny uniform, trapped in a jail cell ensue. Fortunately, he manages to get rid of the moon. Unfortunately, it lands on his friend Hedgehog....and so it goes, getting wilder and crazier, with more and more animals packed into the sad vision of the jail cell, until they finally manage to get rid of the moon (what's left of it anyways).

Sometimes translations work and sometimes they don't. This is a really excellent one that captures the dry humor and wacky personalities of the various animals, from the panic-stricken squirrel to the angry billy goat, delighted mice, and resigned Hedgehog.

The jail scenes are in stark shades of black, white and gray, but the rest of the illustrations are dominated by the great, round, yellow globe of the "moon". Squirrel has a little red shading and there are a few bits of color on the leaves, grass, and other animals, but the bulk of this story is told through the increasingly hysterical text and clever use of illustrations. The sketches, like the coloring, are understated for the most part but convey a vivid feeling of movement and action as each fresh stage of crisis emerges.

Verdict: This doesn't have quite the wide child appeal of Winter, but it's still a hilarious and clever story that children and grownups will appreciate. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780735841567; Published 2015 by NorthSouth; Borrowed from another library in my consortium