The Moon in the Cloud
Encyclopedia
The Moon in the Cloud is a light-hearted children's historical fantasy by Rosemary Harris
, first published in 1968. The novel is set in ancient Canaan
and Egypt
at the time of the Biblical Flood. It was awarded the Carnegie Medal
for 1968, and was adapted for television in 1978. It was followed by two sequels, The Shadow on the Sun (1970) and The Bright and Morning Star (1972).
decides to send a flood, he instructs Noah
to build an Ark
, to save his family and the animals. Noah gives his reprobate son Ham the responsibility of collecting two cats from Kemi, the Black Land [that is, Egypt] and two lions, but Ham passes the task on to his neighbour Reuben, promising to persuade Noah to let him and his wife on to the Ark.
Reuben travels to Kemi with his camel Anak, his cat Cefalu and his dog Benoni. In the desert they are captured by the High Priest of Sekhmet
, who is impressed by Cefalu's sacred heritage. He houses the cat in the Temple of Sekhmet in Kemi's capital Men-nofer
, where Cefalu falls in love with the resident temple cat Meluseth. Reuben is presented as a slave to the music-loving King, who becomes his friend. However, he despairs of returning home until a 'supernatural' display arranged by the High Priest of Ptah backfires. Panic and rioting in the streets give Reuben a chance to escape and rescue his animals.
On the way back, Cefalu persuades the lion Aryeh to come to the Ark. They meet Thamar who has camped in the desert to escape the attentions of Ham, and has meanwhile rescued a lost lion cub. They return home only to encounter treachery from Ham. However, a providential accident secures them a place of safety just as the rain begins to fall.
The Canaanites
The Egyptians
The animals
, during the VIth Dynasty
. At this time Upper
and Lower Egypt
had long been united, with Men-nofer as the capital. The Flood is not fixed in historical time, and its being placed here tends to confirm the suspicion of some of the characters that it will be a merely local affair. The author cites several scholarly sources on Egypt, saying that she has tried to avoid slips in the historical background, but "if there are some, I shall make the cowardly excuse that most writers on ancient Egypt blandly disagree on detail, right down to the spelling of names".
in a discussion of created worlds says the author "created an Ancient Egypt that (it seems safe to say) never was... Talking animals are the least of the improbabilities." (However, it should be explained that the 'speech' of the animals is intended only as a representation of animal communication
, which Reuben understands - these are not talking animals in the Narnian sense.) Townsend clearly appreciates the humour of the book and its sequels, referring particularly to the "delicate irreverence" with which the story of Noah's Ark is presented.
's prestigious Carnegie Medal
for a outstanding children's book in 1968, The Moon in the Cloud was named a Horn Book Fanfare Best Book by the editors of the Horn Book Magazine
in 1971.
in 1978, with Ian McKellen
as the reader.
Rosemary Harris (writer)
Rosemary Jeanne Harris is a British writer of fiction for children.Harris attended school in Weymouth, and then studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the Chelsea School of Art and the Courtauld Institute...
, first published in 1968. The novel is set in ancient Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
and Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
at the time of the Biblical Flood. It was awarded the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for 1968, and was adapted for television in 1978. It was followed by two sequels, The Shadow on the Sun (1970) and The Bright and Morning Star (1972).
Plot summary
When the Lord GodGod in Judaism
The conception of God in Judaism is strictly monotheistic. God is an absolute one indivisible incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. Jewish tradition teaches that the true aspect of God is incomprehensible and unknowable, and that it is only God's revealed aspect that...
decides to send a flood, he instructs Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
to build an Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
, to save his family and the animals. Noah gives his reprobate son Ham the responsibility of collecting two cats from Kemi, the Black Land [that is, Egypt] and two lions, but Ham passes the task on to his neighbour Reuben, promising to persuade Noah to let him and his wife on to the Ark.
Reuben travels to Kemi with his camel Anak, his cat Cefalu and his dog Benoni. In the desert they are captured by the High Priest of Sekhmet
Sekhmet
In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet , was originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath created the desert...
, who is impressed by Cefalu's sacred heritage. He houses the cat in the Temple of Sekhmet in Kemi's capital Men-nofer
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
, where Cefalu falls in love with the resident temple cat Meluseth. Reuben is presented as a slave to the music-loving King, who becomes his friend. However, he despairs of returning home until a 'supernatural' display arranged by the High Priest of Ptah backfires. Panic and rioting in the streets give Reuben a chance to escape and rescue his animals.
On the way back, Cefalu persuades the lion Aryeh to come to the Ark. They meet Thamar who has camped in the desert to escape the attentions of Ham, and has meanwhile rescued a lost lion cub. They return home only to encounter treachery from Ham. However, a providential accident secures them a place of safety just as the rain begins to fall.
Characters
- The Lord God
The Canaanites
- Reuben, a young animal-tamer, artist and musician, kind and brave
- Thamar, his beautiful and devoted wife
- Noah, a visionary patriarch
- Noah's patient wife
- Ham, Noah's wayward son, lazy, cruel, cowardly and deceitful
- Japheth and Shem, Noah's dutiful sons, sceptical but obedient
- Noah's daughters-in-law
The Egyptians
- The High Priest of Sekhmet, ruthless and avaricious
- Kenamut, the High Priest's shrewd interpreter
- Ani, the High Priest's chief guard, & his family
- The King, also known as Horus, the Son of Re, a good-hearted young man, beset by advisers
- Senusmet, the King's Vizier, domineering and astute
- Tahlevi, a kindly tomb robber
- The High Priest of Ptah, ambitious and unscrupulous
The animals
- Anak, Reuben's sarcastic dromedary, and his mate
- Cefalu, Reuben's wilful black cat
- Benoni, Reuben's amiable herd dog
- Mouse, an elephant, and her mate
- Meluseth, a beautiful white temple cat with delusions of grandeur
- Aryeh, a formidable lion
- A very young lion cub
Allusions to history & legend
In the author's note, Rosemary Harris says that the book is set at the time of the Egyptian Old KingdomOld Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
, during the VIth Dynasty
Sixth dynasty of Egypt
The sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and V under the group title the Old Kingdom.-Pharaohs:...
. At this time Upper
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
and Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the fertile Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
had long been united, with Men-nofer as the capital. The Flood is not fixed in historical time, and its being placed here tends to confirm the suspicion of some of the characters that it will be a merely local affair. The author cites several scholarly sources on Egypt, saying that she has tried to avoid slips in the historical background, but "if there are some, I shall make the cowardly excuse that most writers on ancient Egypt blandly disagree on detail, right down to the spelling of names".
Literary significance and reception
A review in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books of March 1973 refers to the "sophisticated humor" of the novel, while another review of a later book by the author calls The Moon in the Cloud a "magical children's classic". John Rowe TownsendJohn Rowe Townsend
John Rowe Townsend is a British children's author and academic. His best-known children's novel is The Intruder, which won a 1971 Edgar Award and the best-known academic work is Written for Children: An Outline of English Language Children's Literature , the definitive work of its time on the...
in a discussion of created worlds says the author "created an Ancient Egypt that (it seems safe to say) never was... Talking animals are the least of the improbabilities." (However, it should be explained that the 'speech' of the animals is intended only as a representation of animal communication
Animal communication
Animal communication is any behavior on the part of one animal that has an effect on the current or future behaviour of another animal. The study of animal communication, is sometimes called Zoosemiotics has played an important part in the...
, which Reuben understands - these are not talking animals in the Narnian sense.) Townsend clearly appreciates the humour of the book and its sequels, referring particularly to the "delicate irreverence" with which the story of Noah's Ark is presented.
Awards
As well as receiving the Library AssociationChartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is a professional body representing librarians and other information professionals in the United Kingdom.-History:...
's prestigious Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for a outstanding children's book in 1968, The Moon in the Cloud was named a Horn Book Fanfare Best Book by the editors of the Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
in 1971.
Television adaptation
The novel was adapted for the children's television series JackanoryJackanory
Jackanory is a long-running BBC children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, the first story being the fairy-tale Cap o' Rushes read by Lee Montague. Jackanory continued to be broadcast until 24 March 1996,...
in 1978, with Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
as the reader.