Moose, Goose, and Mouse

This bubbly early reader by the late Caldecott Medalist, with colorwork completed by Mack (Just a Story), imagines three animal housemates looking for a new place to live. Green Moose has wavy antlers and wobbly legs, blue Goose has an undulating neck, and hot pink Mouse’s tail resembles a tightly coiled watch spring. Their home is a mess, with wonky windows and the door off its hinges; it’s “wet and old,” “full of mold,” and “very cold!” And what they seek is modest: a house that’s “sunny” and “funny” and features “a bunny.” A loose caboose and a precipitous hill lead to an unexpected home in an unexpected place—one that fulfills all their requirements. The text hews to early reader style, with rhymes that make it easy to guess which words are coming, and there’s enough bonkers activity that the pages almost turn themselves. Gerstein’s sweet-tempered, sunny view of life shines through this story of a group of creatures who promptly realize that what seems like a chaotic accident is actually the home they’ve been looking for. Ages 3–7. [em](Jan.) [/em]