Looking for a Moose (Hardcover)

~ Phyllis Root (Author), Randy Cecil (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–Four intrepid youngsters set out to find a moose–a long-leggy…branchy-antler, dinner-diving, bulgy-nose moose. They've never seen one, but they know what to look for. Their investigations take them through the woods, into the swamp, behind the bushes, and up a rocky hillside before finally reaching their goal. In the end, they find not one moose, but more than they ever imagined. Root's minimalist story bears a strong resemblance to We're Going on a Bear Hunt, but without the breathless backtracking that makes reading that tale so much fun. The text here is not strict rhyming, but there is a singsong effect that borders on annoying baby-speak, such as when the children climb the rocky-blocky, lumpy-bumpy, fuzzy-muzzy hillside. Cecil's illustrations, done in oil, have a fuzzy-muzzy look of their own, with evident brushstrokes and earthy, woodsy shades of green, brown, and gray. The perspective of the pictures, leading readers' eyes down, at times gives the impression that the children are themselves being watched by the moose. An animal is in fact hidden in each picture, although many youngsters will need help to spot it. Because of the seek-and-find layout, the book will work better one-to-one than with a group.–Kara Schaff Dean, Needham Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Root's jaunty wordplay and Cecil's textured, hide-and-seek illustrations make this an engaging romp that will be fun to share with one child or many. In the first double-page spread, an excited-looking little girl asks three other kids if they have seen "a long-leggy moose." This starts the children (and one very alert dog) on a quest that takes them to the woods, a swamp, a clump of bushes, and a rocky hillside. Part of this fun comes from the kids changing costumes--removing and replacing hats, boots, and backpacks, and raising and lowering their pants legs and sleeves. The text appeals to the senses: there's the "squeech squooch! squeech! squooch!" of the "sloppy-gloppy, lily-loppy, slurpy-glurpy swamp." The illustrations, done in oils, keep to forest colors of browns, greens, and oranges as they pull youngsters along until the search ends with the discovery of a whole field of moose, just right for counting. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (August 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076362005X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763620059
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #709,981 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Singular (and Plural) Moose, February 9, 2007

By	Barbara Mcclatchey (Lake Jackson, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

All right, I confess, I have a personal interest in this book. The little dog who goes with the children on their joyful moose hunt ("Franny, who always knows where the moose is," as illustrator Randy Cecil puts it in his dedication) once lived in my house. Franny was rescued from a shelter by Second Chance Poms, Inc., a local rescue group, and I fostered her.

As a mother, grandmother, and former teacher, I appreciate the "table of contents" on the first page, as the first child asks the other children (and the dog) if they have "ever seen a moose--a long-leggy moose--a branchy-antler, dinner-diving, bulgy-nose moose." Each of these categories becomes an enjoyable page turn as the children prepare to look for a "long-leggy moose"; enter the woods and look all around at the tree trunks while Franny stares at the four moose legs in among the trunks; and then express their disappointment. "We look and we look, but it's just no use. We don't see any long-leggy moose." It becomes a game for children reading the book to count the number of moose the children are missing (and which Randy Cecil hides so cleverly in the scenery), one long-leggy moose, two dinner-diving moose, three branchy-antler moose. (Franny, of course, always sees them.)

Finally, the children do see the moose, and with a twist of humor, they see "a moose and a moose and a moose" as well as "so many moose." Yes, Johnny, the plural of moose is moose.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming Moose Tale, June 20, 2007

By	Emily C. Coursey "Normal Human Being" (Southwest Missouri) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My 3-year-old son loves this book, which makes it suitable for a positive review. :) It is a charming story about several children (and a dog) who are on a search for a moose. Full of funny words like 'squeech, squooch' and 'fuzzy, muzzy' my son loves to hear it read aloud. I liked the book, too, although it can be a mouthful, however the illustraions are a bit too cartoony for my taste, thus my 4 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CAN YOU FIND A MOOSE?, February 15, 2010

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

"Have you ever seen a moose -
a long-leggy moose -
a branchy-antler,
dinner-diving,
bulgy-nose
moose?

This is the question asked by one of the four children in this tale of a moose search as she asks her three friends and fuzzy little dog before they enter the woods. Thus begins the journey of the five friends searching for a moose. This opening is actually a sort of little index or table of content for the rest of this wonderfully amusing story.

This work is an easy book to read and is absolutely ideal for either a one on one read or a group read. As the children and dog progress through various environments; woods, swamps, bushes, mountains, we need to keep a close eye on the little dog and a sharper eye on our surroundings. As the children search for the illusive moose they become more and more discouraged that there simply are no moose to be seen! Or are there?

Warning....a spoiler follows: Yes, there are moose; there are moose all over the place as the little dog could quite tell them if they paid attention or if they looked closer at their surroundings. The illustrator, Randy Cecil has rather ingeniously hidden bits and pieces of moose throughout the book and the kids get an absolute kick out of trying to find them once the realize they are there.

The rhyming of the text is delightful to the ear and makes is an absolute pleasure to read aloud. I can promise you that the author's word play will bring a smile to your lips and giggles from the wee ones. Each line of text goes perfectly with the illustrations which are colorful, soothing and woodsy. Other than moose, there are plenty of other creatures stuck here and there throughout the pictures which are also rather fun to ferret out; bird, insects, fogs, furry creatures and other little critter abound.

Published in 2006 this is one that you really need to find and add to your child's library; or at the very least do a library search and bring it home for some good reading with the little ones.

This is an excellent read and I do highly recommend it.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks