This Moose Belongs to Me

Staff Review by Chris Saliba


What is the story about?

Young Wilfred comes into the possession of a friendly yet sometimes quite independent moose. He calls the moose Marcel, and goes about trying to rein in his footloose manner. Wilfred devises a whole list of rules for Marcel the moose to follow. For example, Rule 4 says not to make too much noise while Wilfred enjoys playing his records. We learn that Marcel is quite good at this rule, but not so good at some other rules.

Things go awry when an old lady claims that she owns Marcel, only she calls him Rodrigo. The moose proves to be quite friendly with the old woman and accepts an apple to eat. Angry and embarrassed, Wilfred runs off home but soon gets caught up in some string. Unable to move, he tries to think of what to do, but is luckily saved by the moose. It seemed that he remembered Rule 73: Rescuing your owner from perilous situations. Finally, Wilfred has to admit that perhaps he doesn't really own the moose at all and that their relationship in future will have to involve compromise.

Who wrote and illustrated the Story?

Oliver Jeffers who is probably best known for Lost and Found wrote and illustrated the story. Oliver also works as an artist. This Moose Belongs to Me is his tenth picture book.

Why I like this book

The book is beautifully illustrated with Oliver Jeffers' distinctive style. The pictures have a painterly and abstract style, with a hint of the surreal. Some of the illustrations could work as beautiful paintings on their own.

The story is fun and quirky, with a lesson to be learnt about not trying to be to possessive of others - as individuals tend to have a mind of their own!

This Moose Belongs to Me, by Oliver Jeffers.  Published by Harper Collins. ISBN: 9780007263875  RRP: $24.99