Move, Mr Mountain! – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Friendship, natural world, expectations, understanding.
Children’s book title: Move, Mr Mountain!
Children’s author: Francesca Sanna.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Templar Books.
ISBN: 9781787418066.
Recommended for children aged: 5-7 year-olds.
First published: Paperback July 2024.
This children’s book is ideal for: Discussing how friendships are always worth exploring, as they can surprise you. Also how weather conditions are perceived by different people or age groups.
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Our review:
Mr Mountain thinks he has seen it all. He’s been around forever so how could anything happen that would shock him? He hasn’t, however, been asked to move until Lily, who is fed up with always looking at him outside her bedroom window, tells him to do just that!
Not impressed, he sends down all kinds of weather conditions but to no avail as Lily enjoys them all, especially the snow! Finally, in desperation, he takes Lily up to his summit. Amazed by what she sees Lily stays for hours, chatting with her new friend, and looking out over things she’s never seen before.
After Lily teaches herself to climb Mr Mountain she visits regularly until, one day, she doesn’t come and then a week and a month passes and his mood changes. Every day the weather in the area is awful, it rains, the wind blows, and the earth shakes until, one day, he looks down and there she is, Lily is back!
Armed with photos of her journeys she climbs up Mr Mountain once again but this time Lily is showing her friend places he has never seen or imagined before. Lily doesn’t stay but she does come back, many times, and her visits always means the sun shines on Lily’s village.
Our verdict:
This book was published in Switzerland which is apparent from the music instrument on the first page. Illustrated by the author, Move, Mr Mountain! is a colourful, easily understood book for younger readers with plenty of details to spot and subjects to discuss. The friendship that grows between Mr Mountain and Lily highlights how our friends aren’t always those we think we’d like best, and for those special friendships, compromises sometimes have to be made. We can’t move mountains but we can find our way over or around them if we really want to.
The drawing with the dinosaur skeletons in the earth was my favourite and shows younger readers just how long the mountain has sat waiting.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Everyone likes to have someone to talk to and share with. It just might not be the person you thought it would be.
- We all have complicated feelings and emotions and even those who have been around a long time want to be understood and valued for who and what they are.
- There is no mention of global warming here but it could be discussed in such a way to show how this story would be different if it was a factor.
Many thanks to Templar Books for the review copy.
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If you like Move, Mr Mountain! by Francesca Sanna you might also like: our reviews of Solstice: Around the World on the Longest, Shortest Day by Jen Breach, How to Teach Grown-Ups About Climate Change by Patricia Daniels, Storm Dragon by Dianne Hofmeyr and Carol Thompson and Alone! by Barry Falls
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