This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers

Publisher: HarperCollins

General Edition ISBN: 9780007263875

Special Edition ISBN:  9780007492480
Format: Hardback

Pages: 32

Genre: Children's, Picture Book

Publication Date: August 30, 2012

SYNOPSIS

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 of How to Be a Good Pet.  But imagine Wilfred's surprise when one dark day, while deep in the woods, someone else claims the moose as their own...

Is Marcel really Wilfred's pet after all?

REVIEW

Oliver Jeffers has been one of my favourite children's illustrators ever since I first came across his second picture book Lost and Found nearly 5 years ago.  If you've never read the book, I highly recommend reading it and also watching the 24 minute Bafta award winning animated adaptation created by Studio AKA.

What really impressed me about Jeffers' work was how much character expression he could convey with an uncomplicated wire frame body and two tiny dots for eyes.  The dots may be easy to create, but their positioning is crucial.  That's what I love about his work. It's simple, clean and minimal, but it's deceptively so.  It requires a lot of precision to accomplish something that appears that effortless.  That's why I would never say that creating a picture book is easy.

I had extremely high expectations for his latest picture book partly because being a Canadian comes with a strange instilled patriotic fondness for moose and my first glimpse of the cover design showed an impressively detailed mountain scene that was unlike anything I've seen in Jeffers' previous works.

This Moose Belongs to Me explores the mature themes of friendship, ownership, independence and acceptance, but presents it in a funny, inventive and addictive narrative that is both accessible and readable for younger and older viewers.  The clever choice of featuring an uncommon wild animal as a "pet" makes it easy for children to understand why Wilfred could never really truly own "Marcel" and make him abide by his long list of rules.  There's a lovely message about the compromises we sometimes have to make when we want to have certain people or animals in our lives.

My favourite 2 page spread

It's always refreshing to see an established illustrator evolving their signature style and trying something a little different.  It's easy to stick to the same formula that has a track record of proven commercial success, but I've always loved artists that attempt to branch out and experiment with their methods. What I love most about the artwork in This Moose Belongs to Me is the variety of textures and mediums used for the landscapes and backgrounds of every page.  There's a sense of richness and abundance that flows from the pages that mirror the vast open wilderness setting of the story.  With so much detail to admire and marvel over, words aren't even necessary.  The strength of the artwork not only drives the narrative along its intended path, but makes this book must own collector's item for admirers of illustration.  I have to admit that I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the standard hardback edition a week later from the publisher to review, but as soon as I snuck a peek at the special edition and read through the story, I fell completely in love with it.  I left work happy a few hours later albeit a few pounds lighter than I should have been.      

Special Edition slipcase and hardcover Book

Limited Edition numbered print included in Special Edition

Picture books are an underrated form of storytelling that deserve wider acclaim and appreciation. While many people see them as a quick distraction or as a means of simple entertainment, many provide pivotal life lessons ranging from learning to identify different colours or first words to difficult topics for parents to discuss like moving house or losing a love one.  The ability to pass on a strong message or moral in only a few images and words is an remarkable accomplishment for anyone, but the added ability to make it charming and engaging at the same time is one of the reasons why Oliver Jeffers continues to be an author whose work I not only respect and love, but believe should be an essential addition to every child's library.

Short and Sweet: The Twitter Review

An irresistibly charming story about a boy and his moose. Fair warning to all: one small peek between its pages and you'll be hard pressed to leave it behind in the shop.

Meeting Idols

Last Monday, as some of you will know from my over enthusiastic tweeting, I went to an once in a lifetime event with two of my favourite illustrators, Shaun Tan and Quentin Blake.  I was surprised and oddly, slightly outraged that the event wasn't heavily advertised.  I mean, it's Shaun Tan and Quentin Blake.  Two titans of the illustration world whose work I've admired and ravenously clamoured after for years.  If my wonderful boyfriend hadn't found out about the event by sheer luck, I would have been devastated at the missed opportunity to meet them both.  If both names are unfamiliar to you (I really, really hope not) here's a bit of basic information.

Shaun Tan in his studio

Shaun Tan is an Australian author and illustrator. While best known for his meticulously detailed and beautifully rendered wordless graphic novel, The Arrival, Shaun has also gained recognition from winning an Oscar last year for the fantastic animated short "The Lost Thing" which was adapted from his picture book of the same name.  I fell in love with Shaun's work after being introduced to his books by a lovely fellow bookseller 6 years ago and have been an obsessive fan ever since.  "The Arrival" is my favourite work and has been a reliable source of comfort every time I feel a little twinge of homesickness.    

Quentin Blake is renowned for his illustrations of Roald Dahl’s much-loved stories, but has collaborated with many other notable authors over the years such as Michael Rosen (The Sad Book) and most recently David Walliams (Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, etc). So far, Quentin has illustrated over 300 books, including 32 of his own works.  While I love his solo works, his illustrations and name will always be inextricably linked to my childhood memories of reading Dahl's stories.  His drawings brought to life some of my most feared villains and beloved heroes and heroines.

The event itself was a rather intimate, informal chat between the two illustrators as they observed slides of each others' works and differing approaches to illustration.  The absolute highlight of the evening was watching both Shaun and Quentin engaged in some impromptu sketching using themes suggested by the audience.

Can someone let me know what the proper grown up etiquette is when meeting someone you spent years admiring?  I'm assuming squealing, jumping up and down and pointing frantically while asking the inane question "Do you know who you are?" isn't the right thing to do. While I did manage to refrain from turning into the scary fan girl that every semi famous male is terrified of encountering, I wouldn't say that I left with my dignity completely intact.  I think at one point while talking to Shaun Tan, I lost the ability to communicate properly, blanked on the word "bookplate" and for what seemed like the longest 5 seconds of my life, frantically racked my brain for the right word while making charade like hand gestures to try to jerk my brain into some sort of glimmer of recognizable association with the image in my head.  I managed to not make a complete babbling idiot out of myself long enough to get my books signed.

Signed Copies of "The Arrival", "Tales from Outer Suburbia" and "Eric"

It was a tough choice choosing which three books to bring with me for the signing.  I'm extremely glad I brought my Canadian edition of "Tales From Outer Suburbia" since Shaun actually noticed the edition and had a bit of a longer chat with me!  It was quite amazing watching him draw little illustrations in each of the books.  

Signed copy of "Matilda"

I was a bit disappointed that I could only get 1 item signed by Quentin.  I felt a little bit bad about not getting "Clown" signed, but "Matilda" just means so much to me that it couldn't have been any other book.

Originally, I mainly thought of this trip as an fantastic chance to meet two of my favourite artists, but as I read and re-read through the collection of books John and I brought to be signed, I realized I forgotten that I'm not only meeting world renowned illustrators, but world renowned storytellers.  Sometimes it's nice to just settle down and take the time to slowly re-read an old favourite rather than flip nonchalantly through familiar pages and images.