Honk the Moose

Book excerpt: Two ten year old boys, Waino and Ivar, returned from hunting one cold winter's day and skied back to the livery stable where Ivar's father boarded horses and mules. As Waino pinged his air rifle at a fence he dreamed about the moose he could have shot. All at once there was a very sad sound. It went "Haawwnnk -- hawnk -- hawnk -- haawwnnkk!" The two boys dropped everything. "What do you think that is?" Ivar asked. "Maybe it was a moose," Waino replied softly. And it was a moose -- though it was a while before Ivar's father or Mr. Ryan, the policeman, or the Mayor or any of the townspeople believed it. But what do you do with a moose? What can you do with a moose? Honk was hungry. He ate about a ton of Ivar's father's expensive hay. Then he went to sleep. Something had to be done, but Honk was naturally such a sad moose, you couldn't help feeling sorry for him. With perfect humor and understanding -- of small boys and a problem moose -- the author and artist have created a favorite children's classic. Honk the Moose won distinction as a Newbery Honors Book in 1936, the Lewis Carol Shelf Award in 1970, and was listed in Cattermole's 100 Best Children's Books of the 20th Century.