The Unicorn and the Moon

by Tomie dePaola

When the moon gets stuck between two hills, the unicorn tries to free it with help from a griffin and an alchemist

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Unicorns

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Tomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) was best known for his books for children.

He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.

Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've said this before, but I would love to see stories like this in beginner reader sets at school these days. When I was young learning to read was a wonderful experience and a trip to the school library to change your reading book was a joy, but if you are currently learning to read in a primary school and you don't like robots, superheroes and spies you will probably not enjoy the experience.

Although this wasn't an amazing story, it was interesting and different and had a nice gentle, fairy tale feel. The illustrations are lovely. My daughter said she would have loved to read this when she was learning to read.

[Jessica Minnoia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fantasy book about a vain unicorn who likes to look at her reflection in the light of the moon. One night the moon does not come out because it is trapped between two hills. After seeking help from other friends and a few tries herself, the unicorn tricks the hills by throwing mirrors into the sky. The moon then gets free and the unicorn is able to admire her beauty once again. She hangs onto some of the mirrors just in case the moon gets trapped again in the future.
I started out really liking this book, but changed my mind a bit. I liked the fact that it is a mystical story but I thought there should be a moral to it or some way the unicorn could learn that beauty is not everything. I would have this book available in a 2nd-5th grade classroom for independent reading. I would not use it as a read aloud simply because of the fact there was not a satisfactory ending in my opinion.
The one other aspect I did like was at the beginning was a short note describing what unicorns, griffins, and alchemists are to help familiarize the reader with these fantasy characters.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The drawings in this story are fantastic. Tomie dePaola pushes his artistic envelope with aplomb and perfect skill, creating kind of a dreamy atmosphere in which to set the story.

The Unicorn and the Moon is much like an American tall tale, but with animals taking on the roles usually reserved for humans. Perhaps just as much on the tall tale side, though, I could compare this to an ancient Greek myth, with the Moon being of manageable size and getting trapped by the hills, who don't want to relinquish its beauty.

I could certainly see how this story would be fun for many readers, and I liked reading it, too.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved, loved the illustrations in this book. I don't know if it was the subtle blend of blues, greens and grays that were so attractive - but it really made the book. The story was cute, I enjoyed seeing how the Unicorn solved the dilemma. I would recommend, especially to fans of unicorns.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unicorn is beautiful and glows. Moonlight makes her glow even more. But, one night the moon fails to appear. It is in need of rescuing.
All of the illustrations are done in blues and greens. They are stylized. They work for the story.
The story is easy to read. The solution to the problem is ingenious.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Tomie dePaola's earlier artworks. The story is sweet and inventive on how the unicorn saves the moon.

[Richelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an unique and kind of bizarre book. It had a unicorn, griffin and alchemist in it. And things like the hills and the moon talked along with the other characters listed above.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the moon becomes trapped between two hills, a unicorn frees it with the help of a griffin and an alchemist.

A unicorn, who is more than a little vain, enjoys seeing her reflection in the moonlight, but one night the moon fails to rise, and the unicorn discovers it is trapped between two hills. She tries unsuccessfully to free it herself, so she asks a griffin to help. But he also fails. Then she seeks the assistance of an alchemist whose plan succeeds.

I grew up with Tomie dePaola's folktale retellings, so I was thrilled to see him do fairy tale style illustrations. The textured paintings in a cool blue and green color palette are beautiful. The illustrations outshine the story.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so the Unicorn here is motivated by vanity. Not the most noble of emotions, but needs must as the Devil drives.

Our vain Unicorn has a lot of friends. Well, the beautiful do seem to manage to be forgiven more than the ugly.

The book's plot was original, I'll give it that. It was just that I'm not a fan of the artwork. It's bit too simplistic and blocky for my tastes. The Unicorn is supposed to glow best under moonlight, but That's not reflected in the paintings.

This is currently up on The Open Library. Check it out and judge for yourself.

[Constance Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd little book. While the art is incredible, the colors are muted and look like they have a B-Movie blue filter on them. I love the fact that the story is a unicorn helping to save the moon, which is a meatier story than a lot of unicorn books, it's just so he can look more lovely in the moon's glow which really shifts the tone of the text. While its a lovely to look at, I can see why this isn't one of dePaloa's popular titles.