Once Upon A Blue Moose

Blue Moose

by Daniel Pinkwater

Once upon a blue moose, there was a little restaurant at the edge of the big woods. Mr. Breton was happy running the restaurant. He liked to cook, but he didn’t like it much when winter came and the north wind blew and froze everything solid.
Then one day a blue moose, who also didn’t like the cold, came to his door and asked to come in. Mr. Breton said sure, and served the moose some clam chowder. The moose liked the soup, and decided to stay. From that time on, things at the restaurant began to hum.
Join the Blue Moose in this hilarious collection of three short novels as he learns to wait tables, writes a novel, goes to Hollywood, solves a mystery, and makes you laugh even in the dark of the cold woods.
Includes new wacky but true moose facts!

Genres: Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Jewish, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1993

About the author

Daniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also illustrated many of his books in the past, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife Jill Pinkwater.

Reviews

[Readersaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Pinkwaters. Hooray!

Wouldn't we all love to have a quietly friendly blue moose enter our lives and hum a warm, flower-filled intermission in the bleakest dead of winter?

"First I must do some research . . . 'I'll start in the usual place,' the moose said.
"'And where is that?'
"'The public library, of course,' the moose said."

"Nathan of the North was an old prospector, mountain man, trapper, scout, mule driver, hunter, and conservative Jewish rabbi. He knew a lot about life in the woods, and also Talmudic commentary. Nathan taught me the blessing for onions-and-moss soup."

"The moose shines bright,
The stars give a light,
And you may kiss a porcupine
At ten o'clock at night."

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Breton owns a restaurant and makes clam chowder and gingerbread. One day, his life is changed when the blue moose comes to stay.

[elstaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pull quotes/notes
"QUESTIONS AND ANTLERS
...
Can you ride a moose?
In the eighteenth century, the Swedish cavalry experimented with moose as mounts for soldiers. They found that moose are stronger and more durable than horses, and are more agile than horses in more kinds of terrain. The Swedes were able to train the moose, and ride them, but they couldn't keep the moose from running away from gunfire. So, moose are obviously smarter than horses.

Can you milk a moose?
People in Sweden seem to be unable to stop trying to find practical uses for moose, and some farmers there milk moose cows. It takes up to two hours to milk a moose. (I don't know if that includes catching an animal that can run at fifty-five miles per hour.)" (42) appended to the end of "The Blue Moose"
This alone was worth getting an entire extra book to read the second and third blue moose books

"'Very well-if you insist,' said Sir Charles.
'Make yourself comfortable. I'll summon the serving wallah. Yitzhak! Bring Pinkwater Bwana a baked potato! You may as well have a snack—this story will take some time.'
The Pakistani waiter brought me a baked potato on a stick" (109) from The Moosepire
this is a beautiful rendering of a colonial English colonel. I almost wish even more countries that England invaded could've been shouted out

"'I can tell you, I would rather have faced a rhino in my shorts than deal with that fellow.'" (112) from The Moosepire
not quite a garden path sentence, but a beautiful example of semantic ambiguity nonetheless. Would Sir Charles be wearing shorts while facing a rhino? Would the rhino be wearing Sir Charles' shorts while they faced off? Is it a scorpion in the shoe situation but with a rhino and shorts? The world may never know

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pinky may be my new favorite author, based entirely on these 3 novels and my children’s reactions to them. I loved doing the voices, and when the illustration of the “sweet unspoiled moose girl” book cover appeared, I struggled to continue reading aloud because it was so delightfully absurd I was laughing out loud. Kids aged 11, 7, and 5, adults aged 39 & 38 all belly laughed at this one. Love.

[Trux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute best bedtime reading (along with Pinkwater's Lizard Music, of course)!

I don't think of myself as someone who gravitates towards stories of talking animals, but it really seems true that I love stories with talking animals. AND FOOD! And getting all sleepy and cozy.

It doesn't matter how old you are; if you're going to read before/in bed, these are the kinds of stories you should read before you shut your eyes.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is just plain silly fun. Humorous yes, but I'm afraid much of the humor will be lost on the audience that this book would appeal to. This is a second or third grade reading level & subject matter...I think too juvenile for fourth grade...yet some of the humor is way over the heads of kids in general. I love Pinkwater...but this isn't a favorite.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pinkwater has been a warehouse worker, a dog trainer, a teacher, and an illustrator...and owns the world's largest collection of false noses." I love this guy and will definitely be reading more of his work.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best children's book ever. I read it or excerpts of it four or five times a week. (Although the third one in the trilogy is quite weak compared to the first two.) Absolutely hilarious.

[TKOG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best children's book ever. I read it or excerpts of it four or five times a week. (Although the third one in the trilogy is quite weak compared to the first two.) Absolutely hilarious.

[Senda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am thrilled that I got to read this to my son--I was introduced to it when my dad read it to me, over twenty years ago now. I am so excited that my son likes it too. Such a great piece of silliness to share and enjoy!

[Tyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago to my daughter and she loved it. I am now reading it out loud to my little boy and he loves it too. Funny and silly, occasionally surreal. Nice short chapters punctuated with illustrations. Geared towards a younger middle grade audience, say 1st thru 3rd grade.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute/odd stories about a anthropomorphic blue moose.

[Courtney Golden · Rating 5 out of 5]

all 3 blue moose stories in one book! yay!

[Gaea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read these to my boys, they loved them.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Lori Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Flat-out painful. I can't understand how a talented writer produced this slop.