Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon
by Carl Sandburg
The Slipper on the Moon
A fun story land had a big rule. It was a big rule for kids.
Mr. Wishes was a kind father. He told Lily a special rule. "Never kick a slipper at the moon." It danced. The moon looks like a dancer's foot. This rule was very big for children. Lily listened to her father.
Lily asked, "Why, Papa? Why is it a rule?" Mr. Wishes smiled at her. He had a special story to tell. The story explained the rule. It was a long, long time ago. Listen now, Lily, he said.
One night was very special. A secret word went around then. All the shoes heard the secret. Slippers and boots heard it too. They would walk by themselves. No feet were inside them. People slept in their warm beds. Shoes walked out in the night.
Shoes walked from bedrooms. They walked from closets. Some shoes walked softly. Some shoes walked with big thumps. They walked up and down stairs. The shoes moved all around. It was a big, secret shoe parade.
A girl lived in a sweet town. Her name was The Little Dancer. She danced all day. She was very tired. She fell asleep. One slipper was on her foot.
She woke up early. The moon was in the sky. It looked like a slipper. It was so pretty. She loved the moon. She opened her window wide. She kicked her foot. She kicked it at the moon.
Her slipper flew off. It went up, up, up. It flew to the moon. The slipper stayed on the moon. It never came back. It was stuck there.
That is why parents say: "Never kick a slipper at the moon." If you see the pretty Slipper Moon, think of the small slipper that stayed. It is a soft lesson. Listen to wise words.
Original Story
Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon
When a girl is growing up in the Rootabaga Country she learns some things to do, some things *not* to do.
“Never kick a slipper at the moon if it is the time for the Dancing Slipper Moon when the slim early moon looks like the toe and the heel of a dancer’s foot,” was the advice Mr. Wishes, the father of Peter Potato Blossom Wishes, gave to his daughter.
“Why?” she asked him.
“Because your slipper will go straight up, on and on to the moon, and fasten itself on the moon as if the moon is a foot ready for dancing,” said Mr. Wishes.
“A long time ago there was one night when a secret word was passed around to all the shoes standing in the bedrooms and closets.
“The whisper of the secret was: ‘To-night all the shoes and the slippers and the boots of the world are going walking without any feet in them. To-night when those who put us on their feet in the daytime, are sleeping in their beds, we all get up and walk and go walking where we walk in the daytime.’
“And in the middle of the night, when the people in the beds were sleeping, the shoes and the slippers and the boots everywhere walked out of the bedrooms and the closets. Along the sidewalks on the streets, up and down stairways, along hallways, the shoes and slippers and the boots tramped and marched and stumbled.
“Some walked pussyfoot, sliding easy and soft just like people in the daytime. Some walked clumping and clumping, coming down heavy on the heels and slow on the toes, just like people in the daytime.
“Some turned their toes in and walked pigeon-toe, some spread their toes out and held their heels in, just like people in the daytime. Some ran glad and fast, some lagged slow and sorry.
“Now there was a little girl in the Village of Cream Puffs who came home from a dance that night. And she was tired from dancing round dances and square dances, one steps and two steps, toe dances and toe and heel dances, dances close up and dances far apart, she was so tired she took off only one slipper, tumbled onto her bed and went to sleep with one slipper on.
“She woke up in the morning when it was yet dark. And she went to the window and looked up in the sky and saw a Dancing Slipper Moon dancing far and high in the deep blue sea of the moon sky.
“‘Oh—what a moon—what a dancing slipper of a moon!’ she cried with a little song to herself.
“She opened the window, saying again, ‘Oh! what a moon!’—and kicked her foot with the slipper on it straight toward the moon.
“The slipper flew off and flew up and went on and on and up and up in the moonshine.
“It never came back, that slipper. It was never seen again. When they asked the girl about it she said, ‘It slipped off my foot and went up and up and the last I saw of it the slipper was going on straight to the moon.’”
And these are the explanations why fathers and mothers in the Rootabaga Country say to their girls growing up, “Never kick a slipper at the moon if it is the time of the Dancing Slipper Moon when the ends of the moon look like the toe and the heel of a dancer’s foot.”
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7\. One Story--"Only the Fire-Born Understand Blue"
Moral of the Story
Disregarding advice, especially from elders, can lead to unexpected and irreversible consequences.
Characters
Mr. Wishes ◆ supporting
A man of average height and build, with a kindly demeanor. His features are softened by age, suggesting a life of quiet observation and wisdom.
Attire: Practical, comfortable clothing typical of a Rootabaga Country resident, perhaps a simple, sturdy tweed jacket over a collared shirt, and plain trousers. His attire would be functional rather than ornate.
Wants: To impart wisdom and protect his daughter from potential whimsical mishaps, ensuring she understands the unique rules of the Rootabaga Country.
Flaw: Perhaps a tendency to over-explain or rely on fantastical anecdotes rather than direct warnings, which might not always be immediately understood by a child.
Remains consistent as the wise elder figure, his role is to provide guidance.
Wise, gentle, observant, protective, traditional.
Peter Potato Blossom Wishes's Sister ◆ supporting
A young girl, likely slender and energetic, with the typical appearance of a child growing up in the whimsical Rootabaga Country.
Attire: Simple, comfortable, and durable clothing suitable for play and learning in the Rootabaga Country, perhaps a practical linen dress or tunic with sturdy shoes.
Wants: To understand the world around her and the unique rules of the Rootabaga Country.
Flaw: Her youthful naivety and tendency to question established wisdom, which is also a strength for learning.
Her arc is implied as she is in the process of learning the ways of her world, moving from innocent questioning to understanding.
Curious, questioning, attentive, imaginative.
The Little Girl from the Village of Cream Puffs ★ protagonist
A small, perhaps delicate girl, tired from extensive dancing. Her features would reflect her youth and the exhaustion of her activities.
Attire: A light, comfortable dress suitable for dancing, perhaps made of a soft cotton or linen, in a pale color. One slipper would be missing, and the other would be a delicate dancing slipper.
Wants: To enjoy dancing and to express her joy and wonder at the moon.
Flaw: Her impulsiveness and lack of foresight, leading her to kick her slipper at the moon without considering the consequences.
She acts as a cautionary tale, demonstrating the consequences of not heeding the specific advice of the Rootabaga Country. She learns a lesson through loss, though her direct reaction to the loss is not detailed.
Energetic, playful, impulsive, a bit careless, easily tired.
The Dancing Slipper Moon ○ minor
The slim early moon, appearing like the toe and heel of a dancer's foot. It is high and far in the deep blue sea of the moon sky.
Attire: N/A (celestial body)
Wants: To exist as a celestial body and, during its specific phase, to appear like a dancer's foot, perhaps inviting interaction.
Flaw: N/A
Remains a constant, a symbol of the whimsical and sometimes unpredictable nature of the Rootabaga Country.
Mysterious, alluring, receptive (to the slipper).
Locations
Mr. Wishes' Home
A cozy, domestic setting in the Rootabaga Country, likely a simple, comfortable room where a father gives advice to his daughter.
Mood: Warm, familial, instructive, slightly mysterious due to the nature of the advice.
Mr. Wishes imparts the crucial Rootabaga Country wisdom: 'Never kick a slipper at the moon.'
Bedrooms and Closets of the World
The private, sleeping spaces within homes across the world, where shoes, slippers, and boots are typically stored.
Mood: Quiet, secret, anticipatory, with a hint of mischievous magic.
The secret word is whispered, initiating the midnight walk of all footwear.
Streets and Hallways of the World
The public and semi-public thoroughfares where shoes, slippers, and boots embark on their secret midnight journey.
Mood: Eerie, silent, surreal, with a sense of unseen movement and purpose.
All the footwear in the world walks without feet, mimicking human gaits.
Little Girl's Bedroom in the Village of Cream Puffs
A bedroom in the whimsical Village of Cream Puffs, where a tired girl falls asleep after dancing, and later wakes to see the moon.
Mood: Tired, sleepy, then suddenly awake and enchanted, with a sense of childlike wonder.
The girl, seeing the Dancing Slipper Moon, kicks her slipper off towards it.
The Moon Sky
The vast, deep blue expanse of the night sky where the 'Dancing Slipper Moon' resides, appearing like a dancer's foot.
Mood: Magical, ethereal, boundless, with a sense of wonder and mystery.
The kicked slipper flies 'on and on and up and up' towards the moon, never to return.
Story DNA
Moral
Disregarding advice, especially from elders, can lead to unexpected and irreversible consequences.
Plot Summary
In the whimsical Rootabaga Country, a father warns his daughter not to kick a slipper at the Dancing Slipper Moon. He explains by recounting a tale of a night when all shoes secretly walked on their own. On that same night, a tired girl, enchanted by the Dancing Slipper Moon, impulsively kicked her slipper towards it. The slipper flew off, never to return, becoming a permanent part of the moon, thus serving as a lasting cautionary tale for all children in Rootabaga Country.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to wonder to mild regret
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Carl Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories were written in the early 20th century, often as bedtime stories for his own children, reflecting a distinct American voice in children's literature, moving away from traditional European fairy tales.
Plot Beats (10)
- Mr. Wishes advises his daughter, Peter Potato Blossom Wishes, not to kick a slipper at the Dancing Slipper Moon.
- Peter asks why, and Mr. Wishes begins a story to explain.
- He recounts a secret night when all shoes, slippers, and boots in the world walked by themselves.
- The shoes walked in various ways, mimicking their owners.
- On that same night, a girl from the Village of Cream Puffs, tired from dancing, fell asleep with one slipper still on.
- She woke up before dawn and saw the beautiful Dancing Slipper Moon.
- Enchanted, she opened her window and impulsively kicked her foot towards the moon.
- Her slipper flew off her foot, soaring higher and higher towards the moon.
- The slipper was never seen again on Earth, having fastened itself to the moon.
- This event became the reason why parents in Rootabaga Country warn their children about kicking slippers at the Dancing Slipper Moon.
