When a Lady Astronomer spies an elephant on the moon, she shares her discovery with the Moon Society, whose members are skeptical. The viewing she arranges doesn't go well, and soon she is a laughingstock. Fed up with the ridicule directed at her by the townsfolk, the Lady Astronomer builds a rocket and travels to the moon, meeting the elephant she saw in her telescope, and learning about his lunar activities. Eventually, she decides that the moon is for her, and she stays to do her research there...

Originally published in Poland as Słoń na księżycu, and made available in English by Centrala, a Polish comics and picture-book publisher which has recently opened an office in London, this immensely engaging title pairs an entertaining tale with bold, striking illustrations. I appreciated the fact that the Lady Astronomer isn't cowed by the ridicule she must endure, and that she takes steps to prove that she is indeed correct about the elephant on the moon. The artwork by Gosia Herba is visually stunning, alternating between a predominately blue and black color palette and one that also includes lots of red. Her figures are stylized, quirky, and full of humor. The decorative end-papers add a nice touch. All in all, I really enjoyed Elephant On the Moon, and hope to see more from this author/artist duo, as well as from Centrala. We need more translated children's books! ( )