From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-This sequel to Bub Moose (S & S, 2001) can stand on its own. Bub and his mother face a hard winter and have a tough time finding food. When they reach their valley, they find that it has been taken over by humans, and Bub makes friends with the children who leave hay out for the animals. The young moose also makes new friends with the other animals and goes sledding, but life takes a slightly scary turn when a grumpy grizzly shows up. The title is a bit misleading as Snow, a wolf pup that Bub befriended in the previous book, plays a fairly minor role here and doesn't appear until the last third of the story. Most of the characters are somewhat one-dimensional, with speech idiosyncrasies standing in for personalities, e.g., a horse speaks in "Valley Girl" talk. The writing is at times awkward, particularly when it attempts to incorporate science into the text, as when Bub's mother explains what an animal's territory is. Such realism stands out too much in a story that features all sorts of "unnatural" behavior, beginning with the fact that the animals talk. Still, it's all mildly amusing, and there are some entertaining scenes. Black-and-white, full-page cartoon illustrations highlight events. This title will appeal mainly to fans of the first book and others looking for a light, funny read.
Arwen Marshall, Minneapolis Public LibraryCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.
One of the most memorable trips took place on the far side of Lake Lawtonka, at the base of Mt. Scott. He and his best friend, Gary, spent the day shooting shad with bow and arrows, cutting bank poles, and getting ready to go when their dads got home from work.
Although there was no "monster" in Lake Lawtonka, one night there was a "sneak attack" by a rather large catfish tail. Checking the bank poles was not nearly as fun or "free" after that point, but it was the inspiration for this story.
Bill Wallace has won nineteen children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
