Have you been watching the weather report and hearing about all the snow on the East Coast? Friends and family have sent photos of their homes, along with their cars covered in all that winter land! I'm sure they have had quite enough of "old man winter" and yet, I sit here on the West Coast in 70 degree weather and can't imagine the situation they're experiencing back there.

So, I got to thinking about how I longed to see a moose when I was in Maine and did not see one until I went to Utah. Well, that furthered my memory as to all the books that I've read about that famous animal, the Moose.

1. "Elusive Moose" by Joan Gannij
2. “Ernest the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit” by Catherine Rayner
3. “If You Give A Moose a Muffin” by Laura Numeroff
4. “Chocolate Mousse” by Maggie Kneen
5. “Moose on the Loose” by Kathi-Jo Wargin
6. “Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose” by Dr. Seuss

Elusive Moose

Search for the elusive moose in the snowy north, and meet lots of other northland animals on the journey. Hardcover and Paperback editions include endnotes about all the creatures, a guessing game of animal footprints, and a page of informative facts about the moose.

Ages 1 to 4 years
Written By: Joan Gannij
Illustrated By: Clare Beaton

Paperback and Board Book $6.99. Hardcover on sale for $11.99 Visit http://ladyd.barefootbooks.com

Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages

"Ernest tries his darnedest to fit on the pages of this book. With the help of his chipmunk friend, he attempts to “shimmy, shift, and shuffle in forward” and “squidge, squodge, and squeeze in backward.” Nothing works; all of him just won't fit. Then chipmunk has an idea; fetching masking tape and paper, she and Ernest cobble together a gatefold for the last page. Now, the moose “fits in perfectly.” The graph-paper pattern on heavy stock is the perfect background against which loose, textured line drawings humorously depict the predicament of the gangly Ernest and his furry friend. The amusing extension, cleverly constructed from a hodgepodge of gaily patterned “paper” stuck together with much tape, makes for a delightful resolution. The simple plot marries perfectly with the large-scale, highly tactile drawings and oversize font to create a winning book that children will beg to see and hear again and again, whether lap-sitting or in a group. Brilliant!"

Editorial review credit: Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 28, 1994)

"This humorous book has to be one of the most imaginative ever written and illustrated!
The premise starts with a child spotting a moose out the window in the back yard. The child beckons to the moose, gives the moose a muffin, opens the kitchen door, and lets the moose in. Holding the muffin in his teeth, the moose obviously seems to need some jam. The child opens the refrigerator and gets out the mother's homemade blackberry jam. The moose quickly starts eating the muffin, now that it has jam on it. Then another, and another . . . and another until they are all gone. He seems to want you to make some more." Review credit: Professor Donald Mitchell

Product Description

Chocolate Moose loves chocolate almost as much as he loves to help. When this BIG moose starts helping in Mrs. Mouse's LITTLE kitchen, the only thing he cooks up is a huge chocolate mess! But Mrs. Mouse's four little mice don't mind at allÑcould this messy baker make the perfect babysitter?

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (January 20, 2011)

Product Description

What would you do with a moose on the loose? Would you chase him, or race him, or stand up to face him? What would you do with a moose on the loose? What would you do with a moose in your yard? Or in your house? How about in your room? Or in your tub? Would you give him two boats? Would you see if he floats? What would you do?
Colorful, comic artwork highlights the hilarity that ensues when wildlife wanders indoors. Can boy best beast? By story’s end, young readers will know exactly what to do when a moose goes on the loose!

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (September 2, 2009)

Reading level: Baby-Preschool
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; Early Printing edition (September 12, 1948)

"Dr. Seuss ignites a child's imagination with his mischievious characters and zany verses." The Express

"This classic Seuss title stars a happy-looking quadruped from the shores of Lake Winna-Bango who has the most amazing antlers and the kindest disposition. Alas! Everyone, but everyone, takes advantage of his generosity, and before long he has three-quarters of the animal kingdom nesting in the convenient perches atop his head. ("They asked in a fox, who jumped in from the trees, / They asked in some mice and they asked in some fleas.") You might think someone would take pity, but nobody seems to like an oddball, and all Thidwick gets for his trouble is complaints and contempt. Unable to cross the lake when winter threatens, he looks all set to starve--and then things get even worse. He is saved from certain death just in time, swims the lake, and joins the herd again. One reason this Seuss is so good: it has a moral, but the moral isn't pressed too far and the exuberant linguistic fun isn't subservient to it. " (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr

Then there's Morris the Moose (I can Read Book 1). O.K., have you thought of others to add to the list?

My favorite Barefoot Book about the moose would be The Elusive Moose! What about you?

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis