The Little Moose Who Couldn't Go to Sleep

Gr 2–5—Claflin shares another tale from the renowned storyteller, Maynard the Moose. Although it might be challenging to read aloud because of the length and frequent use of Moose language, readers with a dramatic flair will have a wonderful time entertaining listeners. The author provides a glossary to help translate some of the Moose words, most of which are simply twisted versions of English words. Little Moose has difficulty falling asleep because his head is filled with ideas. And when he does not sleep, he has a hard time waking up and paying attention in school. Many suggestions are given to Little Moose to help him relax, like sleeping in a tub of mashed potatoes or counting sheep. Counting sheep for Little Moose is not a monotonous repetition of numbers to make him drowsy, but rather turns into a tale of sheep in outer space. Despite the convoluted adventures of the sheep, Maynard does fall asleep. His troubles are over, and he has a successful day at school. This book is not for everyone; readers must enjoy silliness, wordplay, and flights of fancy that do not always make sense. Further, the grammatical liberties that the author uses would not make this a good book for reinforcing English language skills. However, if readers have enjoyed previous Maynard books, they need to wait no longer for more moosie silliness. As with previous Claflin books, an audio CD is included.—Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME