Moondream

This book presents a brisk tour of recurrent motifs in fantasy writing for children. There is a nocturnal sky voyage in which a boy, assisted by kindly animals, seeks to rescue a girl kidnapped by monsters. There is an infernal castle in which the power of an evil wizard is centred. Lion, badger and owl are good; tramp, toad and alligator are bad. The narrative proceeds in an orderly manner from an initial nightmare, through sundry set-piece escapades, to the triumph of good over evil before morning. The book is as stylised as a limerick, but offers enough in the way of well-paced incident and imagery to sustain the interest of junior lovers of romantic fantasy.