Mark the Missing Moose

by Lisa A. Tortorello

Jimmy was on cloud nine during Show and Tell when his classmates cheered for him and his best friend, Mark the Moose. That happiness quickly ended when Mark went from being Jimmy's sidekick to becoming the missing moose. Saddened and angry, Jimmy didn't want to talk to anyone, not even his own mother. His best friend was gone and he was all alone! When it was time for Show and Tell again, Jimmy didn't want any part of it until he heard what his friend Joe had to say... Follow Jimmy as he discovers that opening up and letting others in can really help him out.

28 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I am a Chicago native. As a child, I spent many of my “growing up” years working at Deno’s Jewelry Store. I went to college at Purdue University where I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree. After college, I began teaching in the Archdiocese of Chicago. I spent 10 years there. After that, I began teaching in the Chicago Public School system and am still currently teaching there today continuing to inspire the youth in my classroom.

I have always had a love of reading and that fostered my interest in writing.
Currently, I am the author of three books.

My Hero, My Ding - a Memoir of a Girl and Her Grandfather
http://lisatortorello.tateauthor.com

The Moose at the Manger - a children's Christmas story filled with magic while keeping Christ is Christmas!
http://mooseatthemanger.tateauthor.com/

Mark the Missing Moose- a children's book to be released soon! To learn more go to http://musethemoose.blogspot.com

I enjoy reading, writing, math, music, and computers. I live with my husband, Charlie and our massive moose collection.

Reviews

[Aileen Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a great fan of Miss Tortorello's writings and I know that this book was born out of a family friend's tragedy, a suicide to be exact. Both the mother of the deceased and Ms. Tortorello recognized the need to let children know that they can and should talk about anything bothering them no matter how painful or difficult. Ms. Tortorello gently and beautifully tells the story of a young boy who recognizes that opening up and letting others in really helps.

[Amanda Stephan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the style of The Velveteen Rabbit, this poignant read has a great lesson anyone can learn from. Whether young or old, loss of any type is one of the hardest things people struggle with. This book uses a simple approach to help anyone dealing with loss understand that shutting others out only makes things worse. Well written and to the point, Ms. Tortorello does a fantastic job. Great tool for parents to use to teach their children before the inevitable happens. Highly recommend.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark the Missing Moose is a touching story about loss that children are able to relate to. It is a great lesson that identifies feelings kiddos may have and encourages children to be open and honest about their feelings instead of bottling them up. I enjoyed reading this with my children.
(I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.)