Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Who left the moose tracks all around the house? The narrator-home owner is determined to find out in this humorous, rhyming, animal-character mystery. The home owner remembers and can trace his other visitors. The hair on the chair came from a bear, the nutshells on the counter were left by a visiting chipmunk, and the feathers on the carpet fell from a goose during a lively rendition of the Hokey Pokey--"But who0 left all these moose tracks?" It may take a moment to realize what animal is narrating the story, but, ultimately, kids will get the joke--though the home owner remains baffled. Viewers will like the witty, colorful art, with its expressive cartoonlike animal character, riotously engaged in familiar activities. Kids will also appreciate the bouncing who -0 left-the-moose-tracks refrain, which deepens both the mystery and the anticipation. --Shelle Rosenfeld Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Part game, part mystery, Wilson's (Bear Snores On) rhyming, jaunty story brims with eccentric characters. The narrator, who goes unseen until the final spread, finds evidence on every page that someone has been in his house because he detects moose tracks everywhere. He remembers the nut shells from the chipmunk who made fudge sundaes for the two of them to share, the feathers from the goose who dropped by to play hokey-pokey and the woodchips from the beaver houseguest who took a bite out of the bedpost. "But who left all those moose tracks?" In addition to a surfeit of hoof prints, the messy house brims with dogs, cats, birds, frogs and all kinds of amusing creatures that may well distract youngsters enough to be completely and pleasantly caught off guard by the answer to the narrator's question. Davis's acrylic, watercolor and ink illustrations include plenty of added details and comedy enough to provide interest for more than one reading, even when readers already know the solution to the mystery. Ages 4-7. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-A narrator whose identity is not revealed until story's end describes a none-too-clean house and yard, and is puzzled by the vast number of moose tracks covering almost every surface. Other messes are easy to attribute to various visitors. A bear left hair on the lawn chair, a chipmunk scattered shells on the counter, and a beaver sprayed wood chips from the bedpost all over the guest room after a midnight snack. The moose prints remain a mystery until the final spread reveals who the culprit is. Wilson's rhyming text will keep youngsters laughing at the animal friends and their antics. Davis's goggle-eyed cartoon style adds fun to the tale, highlighting the house's eclectic appearance, cozy untidiness, and the noise and energy of its inhabitants. The creatures are packed with personality: a ram wears tortoiseshell glasses and a polka-dot bow tie, a goose with a pearl necklace delicately sips tea, and a smiling mouse maid scurries around trying to keep up with the clutter. An enjoyable choice for storytime, this book will hold children's interest right up to the amusing-and appropriately predictable-ending.-Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
It's easy to explain the feathers on the carpet (""my best pal is a goose"") and the nutshells left on the counter by a sundae-making chipmunk, but why are there moose tracks all through the house and yard? This jovial rhyming mystery, accompanied by cheery cartoons, follows the trail of tracks to, surprisingly, a narrator with dirty hooves. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Overlaid with hoofprints, but also filled floor to ceiling with clutter and bric-a-brac, Davis's full-bleed domestic scenes furnish a backdrop to an unseen narrator's mystified rhyme, as an array of wildlife looks on: "There are wood chips in my guest bed, / but a beaver spent the night. / He got hungry, and the bedpost / looked so good, he took a bite. / Wood chips, I remember. / But who left all these moose tracks?" Young readers will be on tenterhooks to find out--but neither writer nor illustrator provides a clue to the culprit. Until the final scene, that is, when the complainer finally puts in an appearance, sporting both antlers and an air of injured innocence--"Why, look at me--I AM a moose / and I don't make a mess!" Yeah, right. Neat freaks and most parents will be eager to share this breezy outing with the slobs in their lives. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
