
Illustrated by Elisabeth Halfdaner ~ English text by John Cotton ~ c.1950s (book is not dated) ~ Litor Publishers LTD, Brighton/ Helsingborgs Litografiska AB, Sweden ~ Imported by Block Lito Limited, Richmond, VA
Apparently, this is a pretty obscure children’s book, which I picked up at a Half Price Books here in San Antonio. I was attracted by the vivid, surreal illustrations and by the subject matter. I love boy-wants-to-go-to-moon stories (though it would be nice to read a girl-wants-to-go-to-the-moon story for a change), especially those that were written long before Neil Armstrong set foot on that great big ball of cheese. There’s just something lovely about the naiveté of the pre-space-race books, when the imagination could really run amok about the moon and its secrets. So much more thrilling than reality—like, where are all the moon men anyway?—especially now, in the era of budget cutting and NASA blundering.


Tommy rubbed his eyes and looked again. Yes, the Space-Man was still there. And then Tommy saw that he was holding out a space-suit, which was just his size.
“Is that for me?” he gasped.


They were much smaller than earth-people, and they wore very old-fashioned clothes made in bright colours. The only real difference that Tommy could see was that they had long noses which were shaped like trumpets.
As it turns out, the moon-folk can play their noses like trumpets, and they form impromptu brass ensembles when the occasion dictates. They also love a good party, and they keep oversized mice as pets. After the moon-folk throw Tommy a soiree, Captain Dan, who visits with them regularly, presents the leprechaun-like creatures with a parting gift: crates filled with the finest fromage from all the countries of Earth. Then they head back home, and as the rocket re-enters the earth’s atmosphere, Tommy is catapulted back to his bedroom. Dazed and wondering if this was all just a dream, he resolves to work for the Space Fleet when he grows up.
Featured in many of the illustrations is an adorable tabby kitten, who, wearing a striped sweater and a space helmet, accompanies Tommy on his lunar journey. The cat is never referenced in the text, which seems odd, and leads me to think this is a lame translation of the original Swedish story. According to the back page, this title is one of four in a series, including The Flying Motor Car, Linda’s Curious Toys, and The Wandering Donkey. If anyone knows about them or about the illustrator, do share, because these books appear to be as rare as a moon-man who doesn’t like cheese.

6 comments:
Wow, this one is certainly a bit trippy!
I have been looking for a copy of this book for years. I got a present of it from my grandad in the 1960,s, ( Iwas born in 1961 in Dublin Ireland). If anyone knows where I can buy a copy please let me know. Great to see those illustrations again, many I hd forgotten.
it is my wifes mother who made this book. Elisabeth Halfdaner was an well known artist in Denmark, as an illustrator of Childrens Books and x-mas post cards. she lived from 1907 to 1970. best regards from Jonna(halfdaner) Westengaard and Erik Westengaard
I have a copy of this book and you are correct. The Illustrations are fantastic. They seem to jump out at you and are brightly colored and really neat. I would be interested in selling it but it is hard to put a value on it. The only one I could find for sale on the internet is $950. rakulack@gmail.com
I just found a copy of this book!! I am planning on putting it on ebay, but I couldn't find any other listing for one. If anyone is interested, just email me at one211@aol.com
Thanks!
Hi all (again). I am the man from Ireland (see post above) who was looking for a copy of this book. I managed to get an excellent copy online. On a visit to my brother in Canada a few years ago, I mentioned this to him. Imagine my surprise when at dinner that night he gave me a gift wrapped present. Inside was MY copy of the book. Inside was the following dedication "To Tommy, Happy Christmas, 1966. Love Mam and Dad". My Dad had given it many years ago to my nephew (my brother's son) when my nephew was on a visit home to Ireland. Suffice to say it is now one of my treasured possessions.
Tommy Stevenson, Ireland. tomstevens@live.ie
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