School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Every full moon in the Northern Piney Woods, the animals gather to hear Maynard Moose tell his Mother Moose Tales in "old Moose Speech." The glossary begins with a tongue-in-cheek "Parental Warning" about "moose grammar, spelling, and usage, all of which have been known to scrumble up the human brain!" Poor little moose wanders away and falls asleep in a nest with five ducky eggs. "Boy, I hope the other ones will turn out better" is Mommy Ducky's reaction when she sees him. The story line echoes Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling" as the "uglified ducky" tries his best to waddle, quack, and swim, with humorous results. Predictably, all ends well, and Maynard Moose closes his story with a twist on the usual moral: If you don't fit into your "fambly...that does not mean you are uglified.... It just means you have not found out what you really are yet." Stimson's colorful illustrations are a riot, featuring stylized shapes, funny expressions, and animated scenes. A CD of the story performed hilariously by Claflin is delightful. This fresh, lively story is laugh-out-loud funny.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Maynard Moose relates the tale of the Uglified Ducky, a moose who lost his way and found a home with a "fambly" of ducks. But the Uglified Ducky cannot waddle, fails miserably at quacking and sinks when he attempts to swim. The final straw is the flying lesson. Discouraged and sore, the Uglified Ducky strikes out on his own and finally meets some moose who set him straight. The moral of the tale? Readers are told that if they don't feel that they fit in, "that does not mean you are uglified....It just means you have not found out what you really are yet. So demember [sic], everybody is a beautiful something or other. Especially you." Claflin's tale is punctuated throughout by glossary-defined moose words and malapropisms, making it a tale just begging to be read aloud--though one Andersen would likely not recognize, either. Stimson's droll gouache illustrations perfectly match the tongue-in-cheek text, with characters that are just brimming with personality. This is one not to be missed. (audio CD) (Picture book. 3-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
