I never knew that moles were adorable until I read Moletown by Torben Kuhlmann. (You may remember him from such posts as this one or this one.) I also had no idea that they would work as a perfect stand-in for humans. Kuhlmann once again knocks it right out of the park with this story of urbanization and industrialization. It's a sobering look at the way humanity has taken a seed of an idea which seemed perfectly innocent (or inevitable) and turned it into something suffocating and terrible. Yes, the advent of the modern age has done much to improve the lives of humans but it has also destroyed landscapes and wiped out entire species. Once again, this is a great way to open up a discussion with kids about a topic which they most likely only cover in relation to the atrocities inflicted upon Native Americans (if they even go into detail about that). It's so much more than that and I think it's important that kids start to think beyond their own small worlds. Of course, you have to decide if you think this is age appropriate but I think it would be good for second graders at the very least. 10/10 for awesome illustrations and a really awesome storyline that is sure to get little people (and the adults in their lives) thinking.

I really like the idea of wordless (or almost wordless) books with beautiful pictures that "speak". This is the story of how Moletown was first settled, how it grew and developed, and the problems that brought. But there's always people willing to find a solution, right?
This was one of those books you want to start over and over again.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story told illustrated pictures. The book starts out with an illustration of an open green field with one mole hole. They blow holes through the ground with a cannon and dig tunnels with a drill attatched to the front of a train. The town grows to be a large city with a subway and a city square similar to Times Square. The moles have evolved into clothes wearing citizens with of work on their plates. Their simple dirt homes are now stuffed full and filled with modern day electronics. Up top, the green field has greatly suffered. This book makes it easy for kids to see how progress affects the natural world around us.

The illustrations in the book are very detailed and clearly tell a story without the use of words. The message behind this book is one that we all need to take to heart. 

Received from Netgalley in exchange for review.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

                I never really thought about moles much until I read William Horwood’s Book of Silence Trilogy  and his Duncton Chronicles (the actual reading order should be Chronicles and then Silence).  I liked Wind in the Willows, but I was a Ratty person, if you know what I mean.  But after journeying with Horwood’s Privet, Mayweed, Rooster, and others, I’ve never looked at mole the same way.

                Which is why when I saw this book as a read now option on Netgalley, I downloaded it.

                Kuhlmann’s mole is a fable, like most animal tales are on some level.  Perhaps, it is too heavy handed.   I say perhaps because I found it a little heavy handed, but this is a picture book with little text.  If I was a child, I’m not sure I would have the same reaction.

                It’s a simple story, and a timely one, about when is too much progress too much.  It is mostly pictures, with opening and closing lines being the primary written words.  There are front and back pages done like newspapers, pointing to the past and future of Moletown.  More importantly, the newspaper type illustrations at the end of the book make up for the abrupt ending of the painted story.

                The charm in the book is the illustrations.  Kuhlmann’s illustrations are stunning and even when seen on a computer screen, incredibly detailed.  There is great use light as well as flashes of humor in how the moles are depicted.  It is the type of illustrated book that will be treasured not so much for the story, but the beautiful rendering of that story.