Though many try, only the court jester is able to fulfill Princess Lenore's one wish.

- Princes and princesses; Fiction.
- Fairy tales.

Princess Lenore has become ill from eating too many raspberry tarts. She says the only thing that will cure her is to have the moon. Will the King's wise men be able to figure out how to get the moon for Princess Lenore?

In Many Moons James Thurber's usual form of subtle humor is combined with a story that involves a riddle: how can the King grant Princess Lenore's wish to have the moon? It is a story that both adults and children will enjoy. Children tend to respond to the puzzle of how to get the moon to the princess, while adults are likely to chuckle at the King's interactions with his various wise men who are far more interested in reminding the King about what they have done for him in the past than in figuring out the seemingly impossible task of getting the moon for Princess Lenore. Interestingly, there are at least two references to magical items that children may be familiar with from the popular Harry Potter books: an invisibility cloak and the philosopher's stone. The fact that Many Moons was written in 1943 is a reminder of the various ways in which authors such as Thurber and Rowling weave ancient legends into their stories in new ways. Many Moons is a book I never tire of revisiting. It always brings a smile along with the enjoyment of a good riddle.

Louis Slobodkin's prize-winning illustrations appear to be done in pen and ink combined with watercolor. They are almost sketches - impressions of the action taking place in the castle, but there are many more details than would usually be included in a sketch: cupids on the bedposts, a throne with curlicues worthy of Louis XIV, and characters with very expressive faces and movements. The colors used are all primary colors tinted (or cross-hatched) with black or white so that the illustrations have an ethereal quality about them. On nearly every page, the illustrations cover anything from half the page to a full page. When there is a page with a good bit of text, there is nearly always an illlustrated border or some other device to add visual interest.

Kings with frustrated wishes: the poem by A. A. Milne called The King's Breakfast in the collection of his poetry called When We Were Very Young. The Moon as it waxes and wanes: Wait Til The Moon Is Full by Margaret Wise Brown and the poem entitled The Moon's The North Wind's Cooky by Vachel Lindsay. Riddles: Catkin by Antonia Barber, The Wise Old Woman by Uchida Yoshiko, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter.

Many Moons was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1944.