The classical music-influenced soundtrack was written by Wallace & Gromit composer Julian Nott. The collection was made by the Illuminated Film Company for Scholastic Productions, directed by Andrew Goff and produced by Ian Harvey. The animated collection also included The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969), The Very Quiet Cricket (1990), The Mixed-Up Chameleon (1975), and I See A Song (1973). In 1993, Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me was adapted to television and released on VHS as part of an anthology called The World Of Eric Carle (alternatively known as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories in the UK and Ireland). Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me was criticized in the Journal of Elementary Science Education for inaccurately depicting the lunar cycle.

The book also received special mention by the Young Critic's Award from the International Literacy Association and the Parent’s Choice Award in Illustration, both in 1986. It was listed among the 100 greatest picture books by the New York Public Library. Publishers Weekly described Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me as 'a wondrous work of art that will stand up to countless readings'. The story also tackles concepts of wish-fulfillment and imagination. The book introduces children to the lunar phases, showing the Moon 'shrinking' and 'growing' in the sky every night. As the nights go by, she watches the Moon gradually reappear in the sky, going from waxing crescent to full Moon. The Moon agrees to shrink, becoming a waning crescent, and Monica plays with it until it shrinks so small that it vanishes. He gets a ladder and, placing it atop a huge mountain, ascends to the Moon only to discover it is too big to carry down. She cannot reach it and asks her father to bring it to her. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me tells the story of Monica, a young girl who dreams of playing with the Moon. The book's aim is to educate children about the phases of the Moon. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me uses a distinctive collage style, typical of Carle's work by 1986, achieved by painting tissue paper, cutting it into pieces, and assembling it. As with Carle's earlier title The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969), merchandise has been based on this story and it has been adapted to animation. It tells the story of a young girl, Monica, who wants to play with the Moon. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me is a children's picture book designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle, published by Simon & Schuster in 1986.

Eric carle moon book