Yes, there is a moral to this story. It is to be careful with technology, new inventions to not end up killing the world. A good story doesn't have to be "happy" all the time, that is just not how life works. This story has lots of great imagery and emotion. Though I would not recommended this to younger kids, it would be great for older kids. It teaches children about our environment, earth, how humanity thinks "everything is going to be ok" when it actually isn't. I personally enjoyed this story.