A poor bamboo-cutter finds a luminous baby girl in the trunk of a tree one day, and he and his wife raise her as their own. But when she becomes a beautiful young woman, she refuses to marry and sends five young suitors on impossible quests. The Emperor himself falls in love with her, but she refuses even him, explaining that she is an immortal “lady of the moon” who must eventually leave. Undaunted, the Emperor woos her with gifts and exquisite poems, and slowly Kaguya’s heart responds. But all too soon the Moon King sends for her. Despite her pleas to become mortal, she is commanded to drink the elixir of eternal life. She drinks, but gives some to the Emperor before disappearing into the moon. He refuses her gift, knowing that immortality would be bitter without her.

This is a haunting story of ill-fated love between mortal and immortal in the best tradition of romantic folktales. The tension is nicely developed with the quests and the efforts of the Emperor to win Kaguya’s heart. Often arranged in long panels reminiscent of Japanese art, Marton’s illustrations are moody and highly evocative of life in ancient Japan. Her close-ups of Kaguya’s intense face are particularly powerful.

Unfortunately, this beautiful book has a few problems. Of Kaguya’s five suitors, only three of the men and their quests are described. The second mention of “five” suitors prompts the reader to flip back to count the quests. Why not simply have three suitors? Three is a time-honoured number in folktales worldwide. Also, young readers may wonder why Kaguya drinks the elixir if she is determined to remain on earth as a mortal. She hesitates, but does not resist. And if she is already immortal, why must she drink this potion at all? Adapting an ancient tale for a modern audience is always tricky because folktales have a logic of their own. Marton adapted this tale with the help of Annick staff, who should have offered more advice on adjusting the story for logical flow. They also certainly should have corrected several grammatical errors in the text.

Nevertheless, this is a lovely book that will be treasured by many young readers.