Little Brother Moose

Drawing on Native American and other spiritual traditions, this parable tells of a young moose lured from lake to town by his curiosity. Moss--the Algonquin word for ``moose''--travels down a ``laughing'' stream. But soon the moose's ears twitch at unfamiliar sounds, and he disregards the ``small voice within'' that ``spoke of the bog. `Come home, little brother.'"" Pursuing the call of the river (``Follow me!'') he climbs the riverbank and sees a ""hard"" river roaring with ""speed and power"" (a busy road). Enthralled, he follows strange smells through the night, and rests among concrete ""cliffs."" By mid-morning, his curiosity waning, he realizes he is lost. Fortunately, flocks of migrating Canadian geese overhead point the way back to his bog-home. By holding steadily to the moose's unique perspective, Kasperson balances the preachy undertone of his tale. Holman's soft-focus, full-bleed watercolors adhere tightly to the text, amplifying it with needed visual cues. Ages 4-10. (May)