Moose blasts off!

K-Gr 4--The adventures continue for the lovable odd couple, friends Duck and Moose. Although these two have their differences, their desire to spend time together puts them in funny situations that turn into laugh-out-loud moments for readers. In this the second series installment, Duck interrupts Moose while he's playing astronaut--his "favorite thing ever." True to form, Duck has a lot of questions about what this imaginary game is all about and wants to add his own flair. As the two try to play together, Duck's imagination runs wilder than Moose can handle. A story about two characters gets a special addition with transparent drawings of what is happening in their imaginations. The chance to see the inner workings of a silly animal's brain is another layer to an already strong visual representation of the characters' external characteristics, like Moose's frustration and Duck's enthusiasm. Each pencil, ink, and digital illustration is carefully constructed to enhance the humor and chaos that is Duck and Moose's relationship. Not only will this be a book series kids gravitate towards, but it has extensive opportunities for social-emotional lessons on communication, friendship, flexibility, and emotions. VERDICT A must-have series that is among the best that graphic novels have to offer.--Danielle Schwessinger

Moose challenges Duck to an "imagination-off" after discovering that Duck doesn't quite have the hang of make-believe. Sitting on a boulder, Moose loves pretending to be an astronaut blasting off into space and is shocked by Duck's clueless question about pretending: "What's that?" Moose responds that imagination allows one to do anything or be anything, but when Moose invites Duck to give it a go, Duck takes the whole idea in different directions…first envisioning the arrival of a whole crowd of other ducks. Then, instead of compliantly playing "astronaut" according to Moose's rules, Duck insists that Moose's boulder isn't a rocket but a time machine. So it is, while Moose stubbornly sticks to visualizing science fictional elements, that Duck conjures up an array of wildly fanciful dinosaurs from a "roller-skating caveduck" to "a disco-dance megaloduck"--until, with a mighty POW, the scenarios blend to produce a helmet-wearing dinosaur astronaut. The rivals agree that they have better ideas together than apart. In the simply drawn cartoon panels, Moose's fantasies manifest in translucent blue, Duck's in pale yellow, and the combined notions in (natch) green. As in their last outing, these two pals set a good example, demonstrating that friendship requires compromise and give-and-take. A worthy proposition that effortlessly achieves liftoff. (Graphic easy reader. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.