If You Give A Moose A Muffin

Our rating: ****

One day a moose comes to visit and the little boy gives him a muffin, starting a whole chain of events including puppet shows, sweaters, and more.

The “if you” books are so much fun! The illustrations for this one are great. There is one reference to Halloween, which we usually skip over, but it’s still a great book.

Blue Hat, Green Hat

Our rating: *****

An elephant, a moose, a bear, and a turkey are all trying on outfits, but the turkey is having a hard time figuring out just how to put things on properly.

This is my favorite board book! A funny book with cute illustrations, and the ending is great!

Black Star, Bright Dawn

Our rating: ****

Bright Dawn is an Eskimo girl whose father, Bartok, is a seal hunter. When Bartok narrowly escapes death by a hunting accident, losing four fingers in the process, some men approach him to run in the Iditarod dogsled race. He refuses, but says that Bright Dawn will do it. After some vigorous training, Bright Dawn and her team of dogs, including Black Star, who is mostly wolf, set out on the biggest adventure of their lives.

It’s interesting to get this first-hand look at what it’s like to drive a dogsled. I don’t think I could do it. There are some Eskimo superstitions in here. But it’s not your ordinary girl/dog hero story. The way the race ends is unexpected.

Furious Moose of the Wilderness

Our rating: **

Gasp! A furious moose! Actually, the moose is only a side plot. The real story is about Pete Gant the trapper and Casimir Zluski’s daughter, Helen. Pete and Helen barely have time to discover that they love each other, when Pete, believing that Helen doesn’t care about him, leaves — causing Helen to wonder whether he’ll ever come back.

Don’t panic. It ends well. The moose gets shot, Pete and Helen love each other and the story ends abruptly. Again. I suppose it’s good because it leaves you with the option of continuing the story on your own. I really appreciate how Jim Kjelgaard doesn’t “humanize” animals in his books.