When Moonchild blows bubbles and one pops by baby Orla's ear, he becomes unable to hear his parents - the King and Queen of a make-believe country. They are deeply saddend by their son's apparent deafness, but a wise soothsayer explains that he hears different sounds in a different way. People who might be able to help are sent for, but it is only when Orla hears the song of a Moonbird in the garden that he finds himself in a special place where the animals tell him he will be able to listen with his eyes. They teach him sign language, and he begins to hear 'voices in pools and laughter in leaves and singing in waving grass'. When he tries to share his exciting new skills with his parents, they don't understand. The Moonchild must wrap them in a bubble of silence so they can hear the Moonbird's song and see the special place where their son has been. Delicate, beautiful, fairy-tale illustrations, perfectly matched to the equally beautiful text make this book quite, quite special.