[simpleazon-image align=”none” asin=”0399161031″ locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514siYEg2zL._SL160_.jpg” width=”126″] I have lived many places in my life, at one time very near to Canada. But, I have never seen a moose. I think it would be nice to meet one as long as it wasn’t in too foul a mood. In the meantime, I’ve fallen in love with them through books. Just saying the word “moose” makes me laugh. What a great name! Even funnier are the over-sized antlers and the spindly awkward legs. Make a moose the main character in a children’s book, and the humor is automatically implied. Jeffers, the author and illustrator of This Moose Belongs to Me, perfectly captures the joy, the humor, and even a life lesson about nature and wild animals. I won a signed print and a copy of this book in a contest. I cannot thank the publisher and author enough for their generosity.

The watercolor illustrations in This Moose… are strikingly beautiful in their simplicity. Jeffers even manages to capture the “mood” of the moose. The boy in the story, Wilfred, is charming, endearing, and absolutely loveable. The text is brief which is how I prefer the text in picture books to be. If the pictures in a PICTURE book aren’t telling the story, then to my mind it’s not a true picture book. Also, and this is no small thing to a former Children’s librarian, This Moose Belongs to Me has a certain rhythm and careful word choice that make it an ideal read-aloud.

Wilfred believes this moose is his. To his dismay, he finds that it is not. It is wild creature that “belongs” to many and follows its own rules. Once he accepts this truth, his friendship with the moose becomes a mutually satisfying one. The best part of the story is the laugh-out loud humor that comes as Wilfred attempts to get the moose to obey his rules. Moose are not particularly cooperative creatures. Not to mention, the moose is oblivious to Wilfred’s rules anyway. It’s comical; it’s adorable; it’s an absolutely delightful read. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT for young readers! One word of warning: After you read this, you and you’re child will want to adopt a moose, and as this book will attest, they are not easily trained.

For more information visit:

http://www.oliverjeffers.com/picture-books/this-moose-belongs-to-me
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