The Buried Moon and other stories

Selected and illustrated by Molly Bang

First published in 1977

About the Story
This book was meant to be a sequel to The Goblins Giggle, but I think instead it is an example of how difficult it is for me to repeat a style. As in The Goblins Giggle, I collected folktales from around the world that I especially liked, and as in The Goblins Giggle, I illustrated them in black and white and grey. The stories are delightful, especially, for me, the title tale of "The Buried Moon" as well as "Savitri"— one of the most famous and quite feminist tales from India—and the goofy Chinese story of "The Mad Priest." 

I really like many of the illustrations, which are much more delicate than those for The Goblins Giggle, but the book as a whole is just another collection of folk tales. I like it, but it is rather odd.

Maybe what it most shows me is how kind my editors at Greenwillow—Susan Hirschman, Libby Shub and Ava Weiss—were to allow me to continue under their guidance. In the old tradition of children’s books, they supported my efforts, knowing that this particular book would probably not sell, but hoping that eventually I would come up with something good. They were truly like mothers, nurturing their children and supporting our growth, preparing us—if we could—to fly.