When the Moon Smiled: A Bedtime Counting Book

by Petr Horáček

Book Overview

Petr Horacek's vividly colorful illustrations and multiplying die-cut stars make for a bedtime counting book that twinkles with charm. Night has come to the farm, but the moon is not smiling. The animals are all out of place, and to set things right, the moon needs to light the stars, one by one. As the number of yellow die-cut stars increases on each page, little readers will be eager to count them (and to count all the animals, too). With appealingly childlike artwork in rich glowing hues, this warm, clever counting book will bring smiles all around.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763622095
• ISBN13: 9780763622091
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.9" x 10.7"
• Age Range: 3 to 5 years

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, inventive book.

My daughter recieved this for her second birthday, and loves it. It is beautifully illustrated and the layout is truly imaginative. The words and rhythm lend themself easily to bedtime-friendly reading (that is, getting quieter and slower as you go along). My only issue with this book is from the "bedtime" standpoint. The deep colors, combined with the watercolor style and offbeat typeface, while charming, make it rather hard to read in dim light. And for a book geared toward bedtime, that may be something to take into consideration.

Great illustrations -- nice story!

We purchased this book for our 16-month old without realizing it was intended for ages 3-5, but are very glad we did. This has become our daughter's favorite book. She loves the 2-page layout pictures and the colors used throughout the book. The story is great and she takes her time flipping from page to page.

SherriAllen.com reviews...

When the Moon Smiled, written and illustrated by Petr Horacek, tells the story of the moon lighting the stars one by one in the night sky until everything is right with the world. The story is well-written, with a warm, reassuring quality reminiscent of classic folktales. Die-cut stars appear as they are lit by the moon for all the farm animals that haven't yet settled down for the night. Starting at one and ending with 10, another star is added with every turn of the page, encouraging young readers to count along as they go. The number of animals depicted in each colorful illustration reflects the number of stars presented on the same page, reinforcing the numerical concept. Congratulations to Petr Horacek for this excellent book. Although When the Moon Smiled is subtitled "A Bedtime Counting Book," preschoolers will love reading this book at any time of day. I highly recommend it.