For this hungry hero, the sky is no limit. The scent of a generous wedge of Swiss cheese enraptures a small rodent narrator. The mouse asserts that “everyone should take risks” and that cheese is worth risking “everything!” for. But this chunk sits on a restaurant table, and as our hero darts forth, people panic, and a broom-wielding headwaiter ousts the protagonist. So, “another day without cheese.” Then a poster depicting a big round golden moon convinces the mouse that Earth’s satellite is really the legendary “magical cheese mountain.” The protagonist begins planning before making blueprints, gathering supplies, building a rocket, sewing a spacesuit, testing, and setting forth. Surprisingly the mouse turns out to be an ace welder and electrician. (No tiny safety glasses, though.) In mere months, everything, including a whole command center, is complete, and our hero rockets to a fanciful playland on a golden surface, where other rodent astronauts have gathered. Is the moon truly made of cheese? With all heads encased in clear helmets, no one is nibbling. But the text leaves no doubt that “dreams are always possible. Especially far-off dreams in the sky.” Zhang’s enchanting shadowy, atmospheric art is often lit with golden highlights. Some readers might find the message a pure fantasy endorsing limitless “wanting,” while others will applaud the mouse’s indefatigable work ethic; all will be charmed. This aspirational astronaut will inspire readers to follow their dreams—even the most far-fetched ones.

– Kirkus Reviews

Raised on myths of Cheese Mountain, an enterprising mouse thinks he’s made a grand discovery on a night when the moon is particularly round, yellow, and bright. Though the moon is quite far away, he decides that “Even if something seems impossible, you must keep trying. You must imagine the possibilities.” He scrapes together bits and bobs, builds a rocket, and he’s off! The graphic novel-style illustrations are lush and detailed in this inspiring science- and science fiction-minded picture book in which surprises await for those who dare to dream big.

– Michelle Anne Schingler, Foreword Reviews

Eric Zhang's first U.S. title, I Want to Go to the Moon, is a wonderfully inspiring picture book starring a very hungry young mouse who, for cheese, [is willing to] risk everything! I must have it! the tiny rodent declares, daring to climb atop a restaurant table for an alluring taste of holey Swiss. Shocked diners reel back; the wrathful staff's broom threatens. Sadly, I fail. Another day without cheese... the dejected mouse retreats, but remains buoyed by the story mice have told each other since ancient times about the magical Cheese Mountain: an enormous, everlasting, golden piece of cheese. The tiny protagonist sees a poster of the glowing moon--shiny and golden--and thinks the lunar apparition must be the mountain where every mouse is forever fed and full. With meticulous preparation and impressive engineering, the diligent adventurer is finally ready for take-off. Zhang's artistry offers visual delights on every panel, page, and spread. The text, originally in Dutch and translated by the publisher, delivers the mouse's inner monologue, but the illustrations provide the most notable layers of the heartening narrative. A wall calendar showing May is affixed over the mouse's desk, implying the traveler has tenaciously worked for over a year since winter and summer have come and gone. Zhang cleverly plays with scale, repeatedly celebrating the tiny being taking on behemoth challenges. His rarer close-ups of his hero particularly resonate, that final look of awed delight at the cheese surface of the moon underscoring the reminder Dreams are always possible. Especially far-off dreams in the sky.

– Terry Hong, Shelf Awareness