Here are a few must-have books for the mooseophile’s library. Got a suggestion for a worthy addition to the list? Please drop us a message!
1, 2, 3 Moose
photographs by Art Wolfe, text by Andrea Helman
Seattle, WA : Sasquatch Books, 1996.
A Pacific Northwest Counting book. All the numbers from one to 20!
Blue Moose
by Daniel Manus Pinkwater
New York: Dell, 1975
The endearing story of Chef Breton and his large, blue, ungulate friend. The moose helps out in Mr. Breton’s restaurant and adds a touch of continental elegance. Don’t miss the sequels, Return of the Moose and The Moosepire!
Bridget and the Moose Brothers
by Pija Lindenbaum, translated from the Swedish by Kjersti Board
New York: R&S Books, 2004
Bridget brings home three mooses to be her brothers but soon discovers that she prefers having her room to herself.
A Chocolate Moose for Dinner
by Fred Gwynne
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1976
Things aren’t always the way they sound. Hilarity ensues in the land of homonyms! Written and illustrated by the multitalented Fred Gwynne, who also starred as the paterfamilias in the family TV drama, The Munsters.
The Evolution and History of Moosekind
by Bob Foster
Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 1989
A zany cartoon chronicle of moosekind’s contributions to world history, art, culture, and science. By the artist and writer of the Myron Moose underground comic series.
Hiero’s Journey
by Sterling E. Lanier
New York: Del Rey Books, 1973
A post-apocalyptic tale of a traveling priest and his companion, Klootz, a mutant moose-horse hybrid called a morse. As if. Here’s a sample of the masterful writing:
“Under his calloused buttocks, the bull morse, whose name was Klootz, ambled slowly along the dirt track, trying to snatch a mouthful of browse from from neighboring trees whenever possible. His protruding blubber lips were as good as a hand for this purpose.”
—p. 1
Extra points for using “calloused buttocks” and “blubber lips” in the same paragraph. Half-point penalty for not knowing the difference between callus and callous.
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
New York: HarperCollins, 1991
Chaos results when you try to please a moose’s every whim!
Latouse, My Moose
by Robert Tallon
New York: Alfred Knopf, 1983
A tangled tale of mistaken identity.
Looking for a Moose
by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Randy Cecil
Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2006
Four intrepid children roam hither and yon, searching for mysteriously hidden mooses. The wily mooses remain concealed until the surprise ending!
Mickey’s Moose-a-Month Calendar
by P. Martin Beck
A yearly cornucopia of moose drawings and questionable moose information. Not to be missed! Watch this site for news about next year’s calendar.
A Moose for Jessica
by Pat A. Wakefield with Larry Carrara
New York: E.P. Dutton, 1987
The true story of a lonely moose’s love affair with a cow. That’s a domestic cow of the bovine variety, not a cow moose.
special guest review
by Heather
My name is Heather and I’m in seventh grade. Over the summer, I have become more interested in moose. So, I went to the library and took out some books. Among them, I checked out A Moose for Jessica, which is the book I’d like to recommend. I highly recommend this book, for it is the best book I’ve ever read.
The book is touching, funny, sometimes sad, others happier. Overall it’s the most touching animal story I’ve read. Some parts made me cry, laugh, smile, and frown. I think many adults (18+) and young adults (age 11-17) would especially love this book. Younger children might, too, but some won’t understand the story.
And that is my recommendation.
Moose
by Michio Hoshino
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1988
Stunning photographs of that most noble and elegant of animals, Alces alces. Includes racy images of rutting season—ooh, la, la! Parental discretion advised.
Moose and Mouse
by Colin West
Boston: Kingfisher, 2004
This collection of novellas in the I Am Reading series builds children’s reading ability while introducing two mythic archetypes, Moose and Mouse. Neither is named Mickey.
The Moose: from Forest to Table
Montreal: National Meat Institute of Canada, 1970
Chilling! Terrifying! Step-by-step instructions for turning eight hundred pounds of stampin’, snortin’ bull moose into a freezerful of steaks and chops. Parental discretion advised. Full of practical advice such as: “Use a hand saw. Cut will be neater and you will avoid small splinters so unpleasant and dangerous in the plate of a guest.” Includes moose recipes and wine suggestions. Jellied moose nose, anyone?
A Moose in the Hoose
by Frank Sullivan, with drawings by George Price
New York: Random House, 1959
‘Tis the night before Christmas, and things go from strange to weird in the Creevy household, including a visit from Murphy the Moose. Illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist George Price.
Mooses Come Walking
by Arlo Guthrie, illustrated by Alice M. Brock
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1995
Catchy rhymes and moosterful illustrations. Finally, someone who knows the proper plural of “moose.”
Mucky Moose
by Jonathan Allen
New York: Macmillan, 1990
Mucky is a moose who never bathes. He is so smelly the skunks give him a round of applause when he walks by. This story tells how Mucky foils the fiendish machinations of that arch enemy of the moose, the wily and powerful wolf.
[No cover image]
We’re too wary of all those registered trademark symbols. Though, given that these are book reviews, it would certainly fall under the category of “fair use.”
The Original Story of Toulouse the Moose and His Friends
written and illustrated by Monique F. Rea
Orange, CA.: The Paragon Agency, 2003
Toulouse the Moose and his cat, Menou, travel through France to Carcasonne castle. Interested readers may visit the Tolouse the Moose Web site, chock full of registered trademark symbols®, at www.toulousethemoose.com.
Santa’s Moose
by Syd Hoff
New York: Harper & Row, 1979
Milton the moose helps Santa Claus deliver presents on Christmas Eve.
The Shiras Moose in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
by Douglas B. Houston
Published by the Grand Teton Natural History Association in cooperation with the National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1968
A habitat and population study of Wyoming’s noblest animal, Alces alces shirasi. A page-turner all the way through to the appendices.
Uses for Mooses
by Bill Silliker, Jr.
Camden, ME.: Down East Books, 2000
Candid photos of Maine’s state animal by a self-described “wildlife still photographer and moose maniac.” Humorous captions and plenty of mooses!
Wild Moose Country
by Paul Strong
Minnetonka, MN: NorthWord Press, 1998.
Before publictaion Dr. Strong, a wildlife biologist and nature writer, told the Moose Page: “The book will be full of excellent color photos of moose, and the text will speak to the hunting enthusiast, general nature lover, and mooseophile. The book will be the most comprhenesive and technically accurate book of its kind anywhere and will have coverage of all aspects of moose biology, ecology, and management all around the world.”