Review for The Little Moose Who Couldn’t Go to Sleep by Willie Claflin

The Little Moose Who Couldn’t Go to Sleep by Willie Claflin and illustrated by James Stimson

August House; Har/Com
March 7^th, 2014
ISBN-10: 1939160677
ISBN-13: 978-1939160676
Ages 6 and up
36 Pages 

“It is cute and funny, unique and whimsical, and has a good moral, too.” 

The Little Moose Who Couldn’t Go to Sleep is the fourth installment in the Maynard Moose series. It provides the backstory for the Maynard Moose tales.  

Storyteller Maynard Moose lives in the Northern Piney Woods. Animals come from all over just to hear him tell old Mother Moose Tales. These tales are handed down from generation to generation. When he isn’t spending time with his friends in the woods telling tales, he is found spending time with Little Moose, his favorite cousin and youngest of kin.  

He tells Little Moose how the whole universe came from the kitchen of Mother Moose. He then proceeds to tell the tale of how there was a Little Moose who couldn’t go to sleep. This causes a problem because the lack of sleep affects the little moose at school and at home. She can’t concentrate and there for has a hard time paying attention. When it comes right down to it the little moose’s mind keeps running all night long, and she can’t calm it to go to sleep.  

Family members give suggestions on how to cure this problem, but nothing seems to work. Then one night a sheep takes Little Moose to the kitchen of Mother Moose, housed in the sky above intermixed with the stars. There Little Moose finds the answer that will cure her. 

This is a whimsical telling of how Little Moose struggles with going to sleep each night. Children will love the way the story twists and turns as Maynard Moose eventually gets to the main point of the story. Children have over active imaginations that flood them at night and in turn can cause insomnia; however, when children learn to curb their thoughts they will be able to rest more easily. 

The wonderfully created illustrations by the talented James Stimson are humorous and well developed, capturing the reader’s attention throughout the story.  

Each of the author’s books begin in a similar style, and in this series it is understood right from the beginning that the story is translated from the original Moose and contains traces of Piney Woods accents and words such as bankee, blorble, snork, etc. 

Parents and children who are familiar with the series and the author’s style of writing will no doubt love this fourth installment. It is cute and funny, unique and whimsical, and has a good moral, too. 

Parents who are not familiar with the series might find the Piney Woods accents frustrating to read because Maynard Moose uses lots of improper English throughout the story and uses words that the reader will need to use the glossary for to understand the meaning of. (One is provided in the book just for this purpose). Maynard Moose also rambles on, which can confuse and bore the reader at times. 

The book comes with a CD, which may be fun and should enhance the story for the reader, especially if they are younger. This is a longer story meant for older children to read by themselves, though the CD could be used for younger children. Children from the ages of 6 and up will enjoy this 40-page picture book.