If the S in Moose Comes Loose: A Humorous ABC Story About Alphabet Mayhem and Friendship for Kids

by Peter Hermann, Matthew Cordell (Illustrator)

Spelling has never been so zany! When the S in MOOSE comes loose, Cow must find the missing letters and glue MOOSE back together! Perfect for fans of Michael Hall and Sandra Boynton.

Rollicking, clever, and a great way to have fun with letters, If the S in Moose Comes Loose is a seriously wild ride from start to finish.

When two of Moose’s letters come loose, he vanishes. Poof! But his best friend, Cow, has an idea: she’ll find a G, an L, a U, and an E and glue M-O-O-S-E back together, better than ever! But it’s not as easy as it sounds....

Author Peter Hermann is not only a debut picture book author, he also plays publisher Charles Brooks on TV Land’s hit show Younger. Matthew Cordell is the acclaimed author and illustrator of the 2018 Caldecott winner Wolf in the Snow and has written and/or illustrated dozens of other books for children.

If the S in MOOSE comes loose
and the E breaks free . . . what’s left?
M-O-O!

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Animals, Childrens, Friendship, Fiction, Storytime

48 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2018

About the author

Peter Hermann is an American actor, producer and writer.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's just too much going on here. I think it might be a nice fit for fans of Emergen-C but I am not one of those fans. There's a lot of text. It's a complicated premise. And the text is kind of clunky. This hits some of the same humor notes as Z is for Moose but not as effectively--and even with that one I usually have to work really hard to "sell" it in a storytime.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When his S comes loose and his E breaks free, Moose disappears, much to the dismay of his best friend Cow. Determined to put her friend back together again, Cow goes on a quest to find some glue. Unfortunately, she'll need to find the four necessary letters in order to get that glue, a complicated process that involves borrowing and swapping letters, transforming the animals and things around her. The effort pays off in the end, however, as Moose is restored...

A debut picture-book from actor Peter Hermann, If the S in Moose Comes Loose features the artwork of illustrator Matthew Cordell, who won the Caldecott Medal earlier this year for his Wolf in the Snow . As could be expected, the visuals here are immensely entertaining, their humor well suited to the madcap nature of Cow's adventure. The story itself is quite creative, playing around with the idea of letters and words, and how the former are used to construct the latter. Sometimes I did feel that the text was a little bit wordy, and that Cow's swaps were a bit complicated for a book meant to be a poetic alphabet adventure for younger children. I also found myself expecting that the resolution of the story would reveal that Moose was undone by someone doing exactly what Cow did to restore him - i.e.: stealing letters - but that wasn't the case, alas. Despite these issues, overall I did enjoy this first venture from Mr. Hermann, and would recommend it to fans of books such as Z Is for Moose .

[Christy Broderick⁷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!! It rhymes, it’s comical, plus, it was written by Peter Hermann, who is stars in one of my favorite tv shows, Younger 📚💕

[Beth Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

'If the S in Moose Comes Loose' by Peter Hermann, illustrated by Matthew Cordell, is a fun and adventurous story about a moose whose letters break apart, making it impossible for him to be who he is, while his cow friend hurries around trying to put him back together again. Playing with words is always fun, and showing children through a story like this how words are very adaptable based on just one letter gives the story an invigorating quality. Cow has to use his knowledge of what letters other words have to find the letters he needs to glue moose's letters back together. From searching for an "L" and finding a "lake" to exchanging the "L" for a "C" to make "cake," all the while trying to form the letters to make the word "glue," there is much fun to be had in Hermann and Cordell's story. Cow's insistence on making things right shows how the power of letters is not the only important theme at work in the story, as friendship and hard work are also quite evident.

Language, despite seeming easy when you know the words, can still be a mystery at times. 'If the S in Moose Comes Loose' proves that this is really true, and the fact that it is reminiscent of a similarly themed kids' show, Word World, makes it even more engaging through familiarity, for those who have both seen the show and read this book. Definitely recommended for young children, as they will be spelling out words and testing out sounds as they read.

Beth Rodgers, Author of 'Freshman Fourteen' and 'Sweet Fifteen,' Young Adult Novels

*Review originally posted at YABooksCentral.com*

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book takes wordplay and makes it the focus of the story. When Cow’s friend Moose loses her S and E, cow decides to get some glue. But in order to do that, she has to make some and spell the word “GLUE”. Cow asks to take Goat’s G, and exchange it for a B that she steals from Bear. So Goat becomes Boat and Bear becomes Ear. As Cow continues to take letters, things get stranger and stranger. A chair becomes hair, a lake becomes cake, a house becomes a hose, and so on. Finally Cow has the letters she needs to make glue and bring back her friend, but there’s still some mess to clean up too.

This rambunctious story takes a wild look at words, letter sounds and spelling. Hermann’s fast and zany pace creates a picture book that flies right by. Throughout, different characters add to the chaos, including the Bull who refuses to share his U and the very confused Boat who used to be a Goat. The illustrations by Cordell add to the fun with their loose lines and dashing action scenes. They also make it nicely clear what letters are forming each creature’s name, so that children will be able to play along as the words shift. A fast and funny look at words. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Kylie2018 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to 6 and 9 year old boys and expected them to 'not get it', but they really enjoyed it and they asked for it again a few times.

Cow has lost her friend Moose (as he has lost the s and e from his name) and plans on gluing any s and e she can find to her Moo but she is out of GLUE so must first make the letters GLUE. She first sees 'Goat' and plans on stealing the G, then she sees 'Bear' on a chair and steals the B (turning bear into an ear on a chair), swapping B for the G in goat she changes 'Goat' into a Boat. This continues until she has the letters GLUE and SE (for MOO... SE)

I think the idea of trying with letters to make something you want (the word moose) and failing or falling short by ending up with some really 'ridiculous' part words from strange spellings (bear chair goes to ear hair) is reassuring for some children especially if its read to them at an age where they are just starting to 'get' or memorise tricky endings (air, ear, oat).

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun picture book is sure to get a giggle or two, as Cow tries to turn her M-O-O back in M-O-O-S-E. The S and the E have fallen off and she could glue them back on if only she can find a G and an L and a U and an E. As she works to get the letters she needs, all kinds of crazy things happen: a bear turns into an ear, a goat turns into a boat, a lake turns into cake, and so on. This book with it's problem and solution plot structure and the humorous illustrations will be a fun way to talk about spelling and might even inspire some fun spelling stories from youngsters.

[Emily Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will help children understand letters and how many words you can create with just one. It'll show that goat and glue are both beginning with a G and how lake and late does as well. How changing the beginning letter can also make a new word. Again, this can increase their skill in phonemic awareness and have them starting to understand by enjoying a funny story of a cow that lost his letter s in his word moose. Very well written and illustrated to keep kids engaged as well as learning something new as they are going

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like silly word books or are trying to teach a child about words and spelling, then this is a really fun one!

Cow is sad because the "S" and the "E" in "MOOSE" came loose and now all she's left with is "MOO." So... cow decides to borrow some letters from her neighbors to make some "GLUE" to put the "S" and the "E" back in their rightful places! She'll need just four letters--G-L-U-E--but getting four letters can be more difficult than it sounds with lakes turning into cakes and an angry bull after you!

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

The E and the S come off Moose, and now all cow can do is MOO. So she decides to glue them back on. She goes around borrowing or trading letters from other places, turning the lake into a cake and a bear into an ear. The bull chases after the cow and they crash into the cart and letters go flying. Cow gets the S and E put back on MOO to make moose, moose reappears and everyone is happy. But the Boat wants his G back...

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the S and E fall off the word Moose, Cow goes on the hunt for glue. But with no glue around, Cow decides to spell out GLUE by finding one letter at a time. An excellent read-aloud for practicing spelling and recognizing that words are made of smaller parts, like when Cow takes a 'b' from "bear chair" and it becomes "ear chair." Silly and playful and delightful.

Reviewed by: Miss Kelsey, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Stef Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word play in this book is so fun. My 8 year old loves it as well as my 4 year old, who is recognizing the words and how they change. Plus Matthew Cordell done it again with these wonderful drawings. This is a must read for fans of books like Scrambled States of America, Zero the Hero or 7 Ate 9.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children who love to play with words will enjoy Pete Hermann's picture book, If the S in Moose Comse Loose. When the E breaks free and the S came loose from the word Moose, Cow tries to correct it by finding the right letters from other words. Cow wanders from one word to another, changing each by trading letters. Fun for letter lovers ages 6 - 10.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age: Kindergarten+

When the S and E fall off the word Moose, Cow goes on the hunt for glue. But with no glue around, Cow decides to spell it out by finding one letter at a time. An excellent read-aloud for practicing spelling and recognizing that words are made of smaller parts, like when Cow takes a 'b' from "bear chair" and it becomes "ear chair." Silly and playful and delightful.

[W.A. Ashes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is too busy. In theory, it's a great idea. The author does a great job of showing how different letters effect words, but I found that it didn't particularly work well with some of the age levels I read it to. my 2nd graders seemed to enjoy this book more than the other elementry kids I read it to. They were at the right age, I think.

[Margie Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this rollicking, rhyming book of "word play"! Kids will LOVE the silliness when MOOSE loses letters and becomes MOO! And even more silliness ensues when the animal characters borrow letters from each other to try and fix the issue! Cartoonish illustrations will delight young readers! I personally loved the EAR in a CHAIR! Read to find out!

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only the S has come loose - so has the E. Which leaves Cow with Moo instead of her good friend Moose. Cow needs some GLUE to solve this problem -- but where can she find GLUE? Maybe Goat can help. Or the Bear in the Chair? Creative and clever -- my grands really enjoyed this one. Lots of giggles on every page.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use to learn all about letter placement and creating words using others. Also good to talk about different kinds of art and illustrations as this is kind of messier and scribbled in a way that is still clear and the mind almost doesn’t realize it. Additionally, can lead to a conversations about cause and effect.

[Demi Grosely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for early learners that are beginning to understand phonics and basic word structures. It is such a fun and creative plot that demonstrates how a word changes when letters are taken away. Cow's mission to fix her moose is fun and entertaining this book would be great for a classroom read aloud!

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SUPER funny wordplay book! Cow is the main character and keeps stealing letters to fix moose. Every time a letter is stolen the word changes along with the thing near the word. I caught myself laughing out loud a lot during reading this book. This would be a fun lower elementary read aloud but best on a one-on-one setting to SEE the words changing.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, all animals need their letters to be themselves, so when the S and E leave Moose, he becomes a Moo instead of a mouse. Cow is determined to put Moose back together again, with some Glue, but to do this he steals letters from other animals. Good for kids who are learning to read and spell - and they might have a good laugh.

[Elise Hymas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and very silly book. It teaches children about words and spelling in a very creative way. When a letter gets “loose” it creates a new word. The whole time the cow is trying to put moose back together so he has to steal letters from other objects. I would definitely recommend this book and will be adding it to my personal library.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun with letters. Cow needs to replace the S and E in MOOSE to get back her friend. She sets out to borrow the letters from other words and makes a lot of changes in the barnyard with her letter trades. Fun for readers to guess what words she'll make next.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to not like this, because it wants so badly to be clever. But partway through, in the genuine pursuit of its objective, it manages to forget that it wants to be clever and ends up being a really fun roller coaster ride.

[Melissa McAlvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this one was a lot of fun and Norah liked it too, though it was just on the edge of being too old for her at 4 years old. she is just starting to really be interested in words and letter sounds so it was a good one for her. Hazel liked it fine but didn't really get the story.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun with word play. The humorous story shows children how removing, loosing or stealing letters from words changes them, turning them into something with a completely different meaning. Yes, spelling does count!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

An elementary picture book featurings pelling and animals where the s and e fall off of Moose and the cow spends all day stealing eltters from others to try and fix Moose. Each time he takes a letter the remaing letters transformt he animal into a new object.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

So clever, so zany, so...not my thing. *sigh* It was too complicated, too hard to read, too...not my thing. I can imagine it might result in PEALS of laughter for the right audience, but that audience wasn't me. I was more puzzled and bored. Oh, well. Can't win 'em all!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no! The S and E in MOOSE have come loose. Cow must set things to rights.

And so follows a series of terribly fun adventures and misadventures as Cow attempts to put everything back together.

I relished this story...so much fun.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of word play and spelling fun make this book successful for middle elementary grades--IF they are interested in language and phonics. It will have to be 'sold' to most students. A secondary choice, or one for the ELA teachers' shelf.