If+You+Give+a+Moose+a+Muffin



Review by: Kayla Dickinson

Title: If You Give a Moose a Muffin Author: Laura Numeroff Illustrator: Felicia Bond Publisher: HarperCollins, 1st edition (September 30, 1991) Format: Hardcover $11.03 (Amazon) ISBN: 9780060244057 Reading level: 4-8 Years Pages: 32 Pages Language: English

Summary: If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff tells the story of a moose who gets a muffin from a boy and proceeds to ask for much more. First, the moose eats the muffin and asks for jam to go with it. The moose goes into the boy’s house and eats the rest of the muffins. He then asks the boy to make more muffins, and grabs his purse and sweater to go to the store. The moose notices a loose button on his sweater and insist on sewing it back on. Once the boy brings out his sewing kit, the moose proceeds to make sock puppets. The moose then insist on throwing a puppet show, and he asks the boy to help him make the scenery for it. The moose spills the paint, uses a blanket to clean it up, and then has to wash the blanket. While the moose hangs the blanket on a clothesline, he smells the mother’s strawberry jam. He asks for some jam, and then a muffin to go with it.

Book Review: If You Give a Moose a Muffin is a great book for students who are learning to read. The language is simple and short, which pairs well with students who want to practice their reading. The story is comical and young children will enjoy it’s humour. The illustrations are very well done, especially the scene where the moose draws scenery for the puppet show. Children will have fun with this story and the idea that a moose is in a house doing things that people do.

About the Author: Laura Numeroff was born on July 14, 1953. Laura grew up in Brooklyn, New York in a house filled with music, art, books, and folk dancing. She graduated from Pratt Institute with a degree in communications. Upon graduating Laura had a contract for her first children's book, Amy for Short, which was published in 1975. Laura is widely known for her series If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. When Laura is not writing she enjoys taking French classes and reading to children in hospitals. Laura considers herself a book and movie fanatic.

Literary Element Analysis: Character Development- <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; vertical-align: baseline;">In the beginning of the book the moose looked and acted like any ordinary moose. The young boy spots him in the woods of his backyard. The moose smells the muffins and gets lucky when the boy offers him one. From this moment on the moose becomes a comical character. He goes from being the average moose to the average needy house guest. In one scene the moose is grazing in the boy’s backyard, and in the next he is sitting with his legs crossed in the boys’ kitchen chair. The development of this character gives the book a unique humor that children are bound to enjoy. The author and illustrator work together by making each scene more absurd than the next. My personal favorite moment is when the moose grabs his sweater and coin purse to go to the store. The moose and his needy personality are ultimately what gives this book it’s charm.

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