My Friend Mac

by May Yonge McNeer, Lynd Ward (Illustrator)

Childrens humorous animal story of a French Canadian little boy named Little Baptiste and his best friend, a very troublesome baby moose named Mac.

Genres: Childrens, Juvenile

79 pages, Library Binding

First published May 1, 1960

About the author

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_McNeer

Married to Lynd Ward, who illustrated several of her works. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Michelle Anderson-Patnode · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard at reviews than what I see posted for this beautiful children’s book.

This is an excellent story that deals with very real struggles of childhood - loneliness, the seriousness of the adult world, the confusion and intensity of growth and the simplicity & egocentrism of the child mind. The moose is sweet as a baby, and wild and dangerous as an adult. This book in no way condones wildlife as pets - and as a child I understood, this story taught that wild animals as pets is a whimsical fancy that would never turn out the way you’d like it. I related to the boy and his desire to have a friend, but how his naivety led him astray. This story is not black and white or laden with lessons - it is just a story that makes perfect sense to children.. Children don’t like stories where the kid protagonist is berated by their parents like another reviewer seems to suggest is the problem with this book (lol). Children see themselves in stories like this, and see the world from a lens we don’t understand - they do not want to be preached to our “talked down” to, they want to revel in a story of a boy with a strange new friend found after a long lonely stroll in the woods. Children’s stories are meant to inspire imagination and create a pathway for understanding chaotic outcomes (chaos is everything from a childlike worldview) from a perspective where the child is the master of the story told.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Moose are very much a part of our summers in the Rocky Mountains. This book is bound to trigger some long talks about our experiences with these lumbering mammals. I don't want the kids to try to make friends with a moose, but that, too, will be part of our discussions. Now I'm wondering what experiences people have had trying to tame a moose.

I didn't indicate why I gave this such a low rating because it sounds like I planned to read this with the kids. Hmm. I may need to read the book again ... if I saved it.

[Mary Burkholder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of a lonely only child who desperately wants someone to play with him. When he gets lost in the woods, he cuddles down with a baby moose until his dad finds him. The calf follows him home. My children laughed and laughed over the illustrations of the adventures of the moose who would not become a well-behaved pet.

I don't see why anyone should be upset by them having a wild animal for a pet. The boy found it by accident, it followed him home, they never restained it in any way and it left when it pleased. It was more dangerous for the people than the moose.

Mac does not turn out to be a good best friend but the story has a happy ending.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its always disconcerting to find a bit of your past, in this case a children's book, in an antique store even when you know you yourself got the book used from older cousins, but that is how I happened across this today. Hadn't thought of it in years, but stood there & reread it & once again enjoyed the sweet story & the delightful illustrations & remembered how funny we thought it would be to have a moose in our house

[Carolina Hutt-Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtesy of Sean Flanagan!

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clueless, negligent or absent parents are one of the cliches of children's fiction that annoys me especially when it serves no point beyond giving the protagonist carte blanche to run willy-nilly and get into mishaps (excuse me, have adventures). My Friend Mac is one of those books that falls into the trap for the soul purpose of uniting a young boy with a young moose.

Ultimately the story is supposed to be about responsibility, life lessons and growing up but it's done in a ham fisted way. Baptiste, the protagonist, eager to have a friend of his own and fueled by his father's stories of a best friend named Mac, wanders far into the forest and adopts a moose calf.

Any sensible parent at this point in to plot would either tell young Baptiste that he can't have a moose as a pet or if they did say yes (as these parents do), set some ground rules for how the moose should be cared for. These parents don't; instead they the moose grow up in the house causing havoc with everything until ultimately the moose becomes an adult bull and leaves of his own accord to find more of his kind.

It's only after the bull Mac nearly kills Baptiste that the parents start to listen to the real reason behind their son's desire for a moose friend. Baptiste is lonely and bored living with his parents out in the middle of no where. So in the end, Baptiste gets to go to school and finds a human friend named Mac. Oh joy.

The one nice thing I can say about My Friend Mac is about the illustrations. They are very well drawn and a good introduction to how moose change as they grow.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Lynd Ward illustrations, but a lackluster story. I'm surprised that it was published as late as 1960. It feels more like a 1930s or 1940s book.