This Moose Belongs To Me by Oliver Jeffers : Review

Wilfred owned a moose. He hadn't always owned a moose. The moose came to him a while ago and he knew, just KNEW, that it was meant to be his. He thought he would call him Marcel.


Most of the time Marcel is very obedient, abiding by the many rules on How to Be a Good Pet. But one dark day. while deep in the woods, someone else claims the moose as their own...

         Star Rating

I received this book from Harper Collins for an open and honest review.

Being a massive fan of Lost & Found by Oliver Jeffers, I requested this copy from Harper Collins and had very high expectations. Once again, Jeffers has managed to combine a thought-provoking story line with beautiful illustrations that capture children's attention and help to draw them into the plot.

This book explores the concept of ownership and teaches children that belongings should always be returned to their rightful owner. My Year 2 class grasped this concept quite quickly with one child saying that "Wilfred did the right thing. He gave the moose back in  the end." Many of the children told me that they enjoyed the story as both Wilfred and the moose made good choices - Wilfred returned Marcel and Marcel became a good pet. In addition to this, my class were highly amused when Wilfred ended up in a 'perilous situation' tangled in a ball of string and hanging from Marcel's antlers.

Whilst discussing our likes and dislikes, one child told me that they didn't like the book as Wilfred's mum would be worried because he didn't come home. This book has many underlying themes that teaches children rights and wrongs in a fun and humorous way. There is some quite sophisticated language included such as 'enraged', 'perilous' and 'compromise' which allowed for some word level discussion and for children to add these to their vocabulary. 

A beautifully-illustrated, thought-provoking story!