How The Moon Found Friends

This imaginative legend visits a time long gone by when the Moon felt lost and alone in the sky. Sail with the Moon on her quest to find friends, and see a more magical night sky forever after.

'How The Moon Found Friends' is a poetic storybook that takes around 8 minutes to read aloud. The rhythm of the verses echoes the rhythm of the Moon's light-phases as she circles the Earth; and at every turn of the page, there's a watercolour illustration – delicately impressionistic, allowing each child to imagine the story through and beyond these images, in his or her own way.

The story begins with the New Moon feeling lost and alone in a deep dark sky. She peeps at Earth's land, sees creatures there with friends, and dreams of finding someone to love. Her quest to find friends sees her sailing out across the sky, over land and sea. But no earthly creature or ocean wave can befriend her, it seems. As her light wanes, she sails to the Sun and disappears from sight.

Darkness reigns. The wind searches over the hill. Night creatures are hushed. The night sky grows lonely. The Earth sends a wish… And at long last, the Moon returns – 'new' again, to resume her seeking. And this time, she is surprised by joy! She finds friends so special that she dances with them all Summer – only to then weep by the wayside when she hears whisper that they will soon disappear.

However a surprising turn-around at the end of the story sees the Moon no longer feeling sad or lost or alone – a turn-around that also gifts readers with the chance of never seeing our night sky in quite the same way again.

'How The Moon Found Friends' offers empathy for those of us who feel different and alone as we endeavour to shine in our own special way. It fosters awareness of our interconnectedness with all Nature's creations and rhythms, including the need to 'go within', or disappear from view at times – like the Moon in her dark phase, like a seed sleeping under the ground – in order to be transformed and renewed. And the surprise ending joyfully honours the preciousness of friends we find along the way.

Try and read the book as double page spreads so you can get the full effect of the story and beautiful artwork.