Blue Moon Mountain

It’s about that time for a kid’s book right?  Yup it is… Blue Moon Mountain by Geraldine McCaughrean.  Now I know the reason they say “once in a blue moon.”  It is only once in a blue moon that the pathway is open to Blue Moon Mountain and that is what happened one night when the little girl, Joy, was able to leave her warm snuggly bed and escape to the mountain.  During her travels she met all of the animals that we have heard lots of bed night stories about (the three little pigs, the big bad wolf, the Giant from Jack in the Beanstalk, and many others).  Joy enjoyed meeting all of them but longed for her favorite, the unicorn.  She met the whale, Kraken, mermaids, and Cyclops, but still no unicorn.  She was not afraid.  But suddenly someone screamed, “The Moon it is setting, you must leave Joy!”  The animals tried desperately to determine who would bring her back to earth, but all were afraid they would get caught “on the other side.”  Finally, the Phoenix, who always comes back from the ashes, offered to take her on the other side as he would once again rise from the dead!  He made it just in time.  But back at Blue Moon Mountain the unicorn finally arrived and asked where was Joy?  He had missed her.  So like all good unicorns, he went to Joy’s but in the process was stuck left on Earth until the next blue moon came.  No worries, Joy would hide him and keep him safe.  I thought the illustrations were circa 1950s yet the book is 1994.  They didn’t work for me, too old school.  The story, cute – like the answer to what happens when the infrequent blue moon comes.  I guess it works ok for a bedtime story.  A journey of sorts and mystical.  Kids will like it for sure.