Move, Mr Mountain!

After eons of existence Mr Mountain considers himself imperturbable. He’s reckoned without young Lily though. It’s her harsh voice he hears one day disturbing his peace and shouting rudely at him, ‘I said, CAN YOU MOVE, PLEASE?’

Shocked at being addressed so rudely, Mr Mountain states his case but Lily stands her ground, going on to explain her desire to see what is behind him. Now Mr Mountain has had enough. With patience exhausted he collects the clouds around his head, squeezes hard and the result is a huge downpour. With determination anything but dampened, Lily restates her request, rather more politely this time. This causes a near loss of temper on Mr Mountain’s part and he causes an icy wind to blow across the land which merely adds to Lilly’s enjoyment of the changing elements. So too does the snowstorm that follows. Realising that this young miss is not giving in, Mr Mountain tries another approach: carefully, arm outstretched, he lifts Lily up and puts her right on top of his head.

After her initial shock, Lily looks around and takes in the amazing view that’s way better than anything she might have imagined.

Now with the feelings of animosity gone, Lily and the mountain enjoy many hours together, peacefully envisaging the possibilities of distant cities and much more besides. The following day Lily, with the assistance of Mr Mountain, starts learning how to climb until finally she can reach the top. One day though, Lily doesn’t appear. At first her friend assumes she’s busy but after many months, she still hasn’t come. Mr Mountain’s feelings of sadness are mirrored in the unceasing wet weather until after many more months, through the mist comes a familiar voice calling to him. There stands Lily, back from her travels and ready to regale her friend with tales of her adventures and to share pictures of faraway places that her friend cannot see for himself. That’s what she does every time she returns from yet another journey and that’s how Mr Mountain gets to discover what the world has to offer.

A super story of the forging of an unlikely and enduring friendship and a demonstration of the importance of being mindful of the feelings of others in the way you treat them. With her powerful pictures and a colour palette that reflects the changes in season and characters’ moods, Francesca Sanna has another winner in this elevating tale.