Morris the Moose: A Silly Story About a Mixed-Up Animal and Friendship for Kids (Ages 4-8)

Morris and Boris

by Bernard Wiseman

This classic story about a mixed-up moose is perfect for fans of Amelia Bedelia, Danny and the Dinosaur, and anyone who loves silly stories and fun word play. The cow, the deer, and the horse have four legs and a tail, just like Morris. But none of these animals is a moose! These different animals have one thing in common—their friendship. Morris the Moose is a Level One I Can Read, great for shared reading with a child, and especially wonderful for reluctant readers.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Animals, Fiction, Humor, Classics, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1959

About the author

Bernard Wiseman was an American author of children's books. He was best known for his Morris and Boris books. He wrote actively from 1958 to 1995.

Reviews

[Tayebe Ej · Rating 2 out of 5]

داستان درباره ی گوزنیه که هر حیوون چهارپای دیگه ای که میبینه فک میکنه اونم گوزنه. متاسفانه مترجمان (به دلیلی نامعلوم!) تصمیم گرفتن «موس» رو ترجمه نکنن، و این کل داستان رو برای بچه بی معنی میکنه، مثلا موریس یه گاو میبینه و میگه «چه موس بامزه ای!»، موقع خوندن این تیکه به جای اینکه با قیافه ی خندان بچه مواجه بشید، با یه قیافه ی متعجب روبرو میشید که اصلا نفهمیده داستان چی هست :))

[jada alexis]

EYE- KSKAKAKSJAKAKAJ

[Schahin · Rating 4 out of 5]

من «موستباه» کردم⁦⁦⁦⁦:⁠-⁠)⁩

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a book from my "I Can Read" collection for a while! Morris was not a favourite of mine as a child but my youngest son enjoyed his stories. The illustrations are cute, as are most from the '50s, Wiseman has a bit of Syd Hoff style to his animal people. A cute story that has Morris the moose trying to convince a cow that he is a moose since they share many of the same features. Upon asking a deer to solve their disagreement, the deer tells them they both are obviously deer and so on until the animals realize they can be the same and different at the same time. A fun one to read aloud; quite silly and humorous.

[Paola L.]

Personal Response:
My brother and I read Morris the Moose by B.Wiseman. My brother’s name is Brandon Patino Luna. He is five years old and is in kindergarten. My brother and I enjoyed reading the book; it was a humorous story. My brother was able to relate to this book himself. This was because he sometimes thought things had to be the way he believed. Even though Brandon is young he was able to understand the moral the story was trying to explain. I also was able to understand what the moral was behind the story. The author did a great job of writing the book in third person point of view. This made it easier to understand what all the animals’ point of view was. It also helped the reader see how Morris changes his point of view throughout the story. The confusions and mistakes that Morris made seemed hilarious to both me and my brother. The humor in the book made the book more and interesting and fun to read.

Plot:
All throughout the story Morris was trying to discover what kind of animals his friends were. Most of the time Morris believed that all his friends where Mooses just like him. This made his friends frustrated and confused. He and his friends went to other animals for their opinions on what type of animals’ each of them where. The other animals didn’t help them out much, instead they made them even more confused. All the confusions that Morris made make him seem silly. All throughout the story the author was trying teach a moral. I believed that the moral was we should not make conclusions before we know the answer. This means don’t jump to a conclusion before knowing the real answer. In the story Morris and his friends jump to conclusions on what type of animal they were based on what they knew and believed. This what caused all the confusion.

Recommendations:
I believed that this book was wrote for younger kids. Kids at age level 3k through kindergarten would enjoy reading this book because the vocabulary used seemed easier. There were also few words in the book, so younger kids would be able to easily read it. Both genders would enjoy reading this book because the book was not gender specific and the moral was relatable for everyone.

[Cathy | A Case Full of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

My five-year-old read this on her own, and then brought it to read to me because she enjoyed it so much.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morris thinks a cow is a moose. A deer thinks the cow and Morris are deer. Will they be able to shake their mistaken identities? For early readers who are looking for a funny story. Both my grandson and I liked this one.
Update on 9/12/19- On the most recent reread, I found this to be rather silly. The nine year-old granddaughter loved it. She has a copy at her home.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Morris the moose. This is a great book for beginner readers. Nothing too crazy and the repetition is good for the kids. This is also an AR book for anyone who might want to know. I would recommend this book to others.

[Maughn Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

The late American philosopher Gareth B. Matthews discussed the philosophical side of this book in his "Thinking in Stories" Column for the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children, available here: https://www.montclair.edu/iapc/review.... I remember as a child being perplexed at the taxonomy of the animal world. Are dogs related to cats? Horses to cows? Who can marry who and who can be friends with who? As Matthews observes, "The problem of essential and accidental properties is a problem of meta­physics. Some of the issues it raises can also be conceived as problems in taxonomy – how to classify things." In either case, "The plot of this little story could hardly be simpler; yet the questions it raises are very profound."

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Know thyself."

Discovered because it's used in a lesson in Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy through Children's Literature. I think learning what Wartenberg has to say about it spoiled it for me; I might like the story better on my own terms. I will investigate the rest of the Morris stories.

[J. Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

First entry in the "Morris" series. The mild comedy of the premise is that Morris thinks other animals are moose, a deer thinks other animals are deer, etc.

No need to feel obligated to read this one, the other Morrises are miles better and this is definitely not a series that one needs to read in order.

Rounding up to three stars because I've read it a couple of times to a Morris-loving audience.

[Mort's Kids · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good bad dad joke as much as anyone, but I can't claim to this rises to the level of other moose-related classics such as If You Give a Moose a Muffin. The quality of the art (and the fact that Morris is bipedal, but all the other animals aren't) drag this one down. A silly and enjoyable narrative, though, so kudos for that.

[Kenya Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so funny and I loved Morris. I wanted to take him home as a pet lmao. But I enjoyed all the characters and the way the story was written. I read this story in elementary school and I still remember it that's just how good it was.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be a great way to teach kids why you shouldn't try to label people based on what you yourself identify as. I do worry though that some comments would be difficult for children of multi-racial families.

[Brittany Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids loved it! They were laughing throughout the book.

[Emily Kinsman · Rating 2 out of 5]

11/28
Fiction
K-2nd
This Moose and his silly questions to the other animals were silly yet confusing that he would try to convince other animals they were Moose. Still cute though!

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is alright if you don't think about it too hard. The story doesn't make much sense, but it's a fun read.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is fun to read this book. Everyone thinks others are the same animals. Then they know the difference when they see their shadows .

[K Morlando · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed reading this!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, funny, delightful tale!

[Cdupree2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was funny that Morris wouldn't listen to the cow when it kept saying it was a cow.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic. Funny with delightful drawings.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Similar to Gerald and Piggie's "I'm a Frog!" and the BRAVE book about how "Elephants Are Not Birds!"

[Kelly Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still laughing about “moose-take”

[Diana Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

He made a moosetake. Cute and helps kids see similarities and differences.

[Ron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Derivative after the 100th reading.

[Aubrey]

I love Morris the Moose. He is funny and witty. Good sentence structures for kindergartner age. Pictures on every page. 👍

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a big fan of Morris as a kid, but this is one the most boring and tedious I Can Read books I have read. My beginning reader zipped through it, but I don't think it made much of an impression on her either.

[Alireza Emami · Rating 3 out of 5]

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