Moletown by Torben Kuhlmann

Title: Moletown
Author & Illustrator: Torben Kuhlmann
Genre: Wordless Picture Book
Publisher: NorthSouth
Date: October 2015
Length: 32 pages

My kids picked it out at the library

Torben Kulhmann's stunningly illustrated, nearly wordless tale offers a fascinating window into an imaginary, yet hauntingly familiar world under our feet, where a mole suddenly recognizes the precarious balance between progress and preservation. Kulhmann's open ended text encourages thoughtful exploration into possible solutions, and his delightful endpapers depict a montage of solutions that could very well save the moles' world and ours.

Description from Goodreads

Moletown is a whimsical take on the growth of a city. From the first settler to the development of industry and beyond, children will enjoy exploring the illustrations in this almost wordless picture book.

What I liked

Illustrations: While not as packed with detail as Anno's Journey or Peter Spier's books, the idea of anthropomorphic moles and the lovely illustrations immediately grab the eye and can keep kids hooked for two or three reads.

Subject matter: Adorable, roly poly moles build a city! And drive steam diggers! And live in wee apartments! It's SO CUTE! Kuhlmann illustrates the growth of a settler's farm into a metropolis, including immigrants, technological advances, and crowded city streets. I especially liked how construction equipment was reimagined for underground life.

What some people might be on the fence about

Environmental message: Eventually the moles realize that the green meadow that had been settled several generations ago was no longer green. In fact only a little patch of grass was left at the surface, the rest of the area filled with the tops of chimneys and smoke stacks. The endpapers show how the moles saved and further developed their green spaces. My husband thought the message was a bit heavy handed. I saw it as more in line with the development of an actual city. People didn't realize how important green spaces were until science (environmental, psychological, etc.) caught up to urban development. I think the target audience, children, will totally get it and not see it as clumsy messaging.

What didn't work for me

Something is missing: I really enjoyed the book but once I finished it I just felt like it was lacking something. Did I want more story, more detail, more cute moles? I don't know, I can't put my finger on what's missing, it's just the feeling I'm left with.

Rating: 3.5

The illustrations are warm and wonderful, my family really enjoyed this book. While my husband felt that environmental tone came out of nowhere and "whacked (him) in the face" I don't think kids will find it as disruptive to the story as he did. As I said above, I feel it's missing something, but I couldn't tell you what.

I'm a huge fan of wordless picture books, it was one of the few ways my parents could get me to engage with books when I was younger. It was also one of my favorite units to teach when I was an elementary librarian. Students made great observations and started wonderful class discussions. What picture books do you or your kids enjoy? Where there any that surprised you?