Stanley the Sock Monster Goes to the Moon

Australian author/artist Robaard (Milo and Millie) introduces a bearlike sock monster who dreams of traveling to the moon, but while her sweet-tempered watercolor illustrations are long on charm, the story itself doesn't hold up. Stanley's first efforts involve creating a giant "moonboot" and trying to "hitch a ride on a shooting star," which Robaard depicts in four adorable vignettes of a butterfly net%E2%80%93wielding Stanley pursuing a tiny, smiling star. These and other ideas prove unsuccessful, but after Stanley's father suggests that he "look at it another way" (Stanley is shown doing a handstand), he finally decides to build a rocket. Given Stanley's passion for space travel (and considering that the story opens with Stanley and his father reading a book called To the Moon and Back: Tips for Young Astronauts) it seems unlikely that it would take him so long to hit on the most obvious method of reaching the moon, and the ease with which Stanley knits together a soft, fuzzy rocket and completes his journey don't add up to a satisfying story arc. Ages 4%E2%80%937. (Jan.)