about the book
A movie director just wants to film a moose in its natural habitat, doing the things moose naturally do throughout their daily lives. What this director didn’t count on is a moose with bigger dreams than your average moose. This moose? This moose wants to go to the moon. Literally.
The film director catches the moose in the act of becoming an astronaut, with the help of his forest friends, of course. Before the day of the launch, he will catch on film a lacrosse-playing grandma moose, a flying superhero chipmunk, and a giraffe training to be a doctor, and the launch itself goes against everything the director wants for his nature documentary, and against science.
How can a moose reach the moon with a gigantic rubber slingshot?
about the author
Richard T. Morris, aside from writing books, is a literary agent for Jenklow & Nesbit. You’d probably guess that reading manuscripts almost on a daily basis would inspire him to write books. However, Richard says his real inspiration was actually having his own children and reading picture books to them at night. “My kids would find me reading their picture books during the day. They would kind of be upset, because they considered them ‘their’ books…I enjoyed rediscovering the stories from my childhood,” he says.
This is a Moose, is Richard’s second children’s book. The story started from one word, Moose. “I just love the word. I can’t say it without smiling,” he says. Somewhere along the way, he wrote, “Moose wants to be an astronaut.” Shortly after writing those words, Richard heard the word “Cut!” in his head, and the crazy story of a documentary gone wrong was born.
Richard also is a regular contributor to the Spelling Ink creative writing blog created by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. He is married to Alice Tasman, also a New York literary agent. Alice, discovered the beginnings of This is a Moose on a writing pad in their home. Behind Richard’s back, she sent the manuscript to a literary agent friend of hers, who loved the script. Richard dedicated the book to her, because she was responsible for getting the ball rolling on its publication.
Richard lives with Alice and his kids in New Jersey.
Sources:
Author page: Hachette Book Group
Author interview: PW KidsCast
Author biography: Janklow & Nesbit
Author wedding announcement: The New York Times
Also by Richard T. Morris:
Bye-Bye, Baby! Walker Books for Young Readers. 2009.
about the illustrator
Tom Lichtenheld was born in 1953 in Nixon, Illinois. When he was a kid, he loved drawing pictures of ships and trucks. He would also spend hours looking at the drawings in National Geographic.
Years later, Tom created a bunch of pirate drawings for his nephew and made a book out of the many pages (he even burned the edges of the paper to make it look like a real pirate book). It took four years before a publisher accepted his idea—but he never gave up.
Tom keeps his eyes and ears open whenever he’s around kids. His best ideas come from kids because they are so smart!
Tom now lives in Geneva, Illinois with his wife, Jan, who helps him write the endings of his books—the hardest part. Tom also gets a lot of help from his cats who lay on his pencils, drawings, hands, and anything else that will slow him down! Tom doesn’t have children of his own, but he keeps pictures of smiling, laughing children above his desk to remind him of what it’s like to be a child.
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator blog
Illustrator interview: Daily Herald
Also by Tom Lichtenheld:
I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Chronicle Books. 2015.
Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry. HMH Books for Young Readers. 2015.
Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Scholastic. 2015.
One Big Pair of Underwear by Laura Gehl. Beach Lane Books. 2014.
Sing by Joe Raposo. Henry Holt. 2013.
Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker. Chronicle Books. 2013.
Wumbers by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Chronicle Books. 2012.
Zero the Hero by Joan Holub. Henry Holt. 2012.
E-Mergency!. Chronicle Books. 2011.
Cloudette. Henry Holt. 2011.
What’s With This Room?. Little Brown Company. 2005.
What Are You So Grumpy About?. Little Brown Company. 2003.
read more!
Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit by Catherine Rayner
This book has a problem. Ernest, a large moose with an big nose just won’t fit on the pages. Ernest shimmies and squeezes but still no luck. Part of him just doesn’t fit! Finally his chipmunk friend gets an idea and, using several pieces of paper and a some masking tape, they create a special page that Earnest fits on just fine!
Bye-Bye, Baby! by Richard Morris
Felix is furious! He didn’t need a baby sister; why did his parents bring her home? On a trip to the zoo he thinks maybe the animals can do away with her—the elephant can sit on her or the giraffe can put her high up in a tree. When it’s time to leave the zoo, Felix is still furious—until his little sister places his favorite stuffed donkey on his lap. (Maybe she isn’t so bad after all.)
Z Is for Moose by Kelly Bingham
Moose can’t wait to play his part in Zebra’s alphabet play. By the time Duck takes his turn with the letter D, Moose barges his way on stage. Over and over again as the various other letters appear, Moose messes up. By the time M gets around, Zebra decides to go with Mouse, and Moose throws a huge tantrum. Finally, Zebra finds the perfect spot for him.