Rino Alaimo's The boy who loved the moon

"Many years ago, one night in June, the lights of the city went out, one by one, until only a single light illuminated the sky."

This is the light of the moon.  The moon captures the heart of a  lonely boy. He longs to show the moon his love.  He collects a beautiful rose, a deep sea pearl and the diamond eye of a dragon.  Each gift is rejected although not too harshly.  What gift can the boy give the moon?

It seems odd to mention this but today with our Kindergarten classes we read Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch.  This is a much simpler book but it is also contains an deeply felt expression of love for the moon.

One of my annual joys is to attend Little Big Shots - a festival of children's short films.  Last year I saw this little film and I was entranced.  Then I discovered this special book made by the film maker. If you are looking for a text and film to explore with a senior class take a look at The Boy who loved the moon.  You could then look at this review which compares the book and the film.

One reviewer likened this book to The Giving Tree.  With a younger class you might also look at Papa Please get the moon for me, Sarah's Heavy Heart and Laura's Star.