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Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J FICTION STE CHRISTMAS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
An unexpected visitor makes Christmas special for a little boy. While performing a trial run for Santa Claus--the reindeer are far too dainty and aloof for such risky business--Mr. Moose goes off course and crashes through the roof of Billy Wagner's house, injuring his leg. There's nothing to do but to stay there until he recovers, regaling the family with stories until Father Christmas comes to get him. Billy's fascination with Mr. Moose lifts the little boy's spirits as he faces anew year with hope. This perennial best-seller in Germany will bring Christmas cheer to all readers.
Author Notes
Andreas Steinhöfel was still a student of English and media studies at Marburg when his first stories were published. Since then he has written many children's novels and television scripts and has translated many books into German. Curre
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-When an elk crashes through the roof of Billy and Kiki's house in Germany, it hurts its leg and stays there in order to recuperate. It turns out that the articulate Mr. Moose (he speaks five languages) is one of the test-drivers for Santa's sleigh, and he quickly wins over the whole family with his friendliness and charm. After he and the children rescue Santa from a psychiatric institution (after a bit of Grandma's cherry brandy, he tells everyone he's Father Christmas), the Boss is so grateful that he agrees to let Mr. Moose join the reindeer on Christmas Eve. Winsome watercolor illustrations, droll details, and a young narrator who relates both wild and everyday details in the same matter-of-fact tone combine to create a charming, if offbeat, Christmas fantasy.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) Mr. Moose crash-lands on young Billy Wagner's house while taking Father Christmas's sleigh for a trial run. The perfect remedy for overindulgence in holiday sweetness, this astringent German import portrays Santa's reindeer as arrogant creatures who have to have their hooves polished just right and Father Christmas as being rather unfriendly, especially if crossed (though much cheerier once he's downed some cherry brandy with Billy's grandma). Droll line-and-watercolor illustrations capture both the tale's holiday magic (Billy and his sister flying over the town on Mr. Moose, like a goofy elk-version of Raymond Briggs's Snowman) and its amusingly mundane humor (Father Christmas sitting on the roof of the mental clinic he's escaped from through-of course-the chimney). Readers wanting a holiday tale that will have them laughing all the way will find, like Billy and Mr. Moose, their ""deepest felt wishes"" come true. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
When Mr. Moose, Santa's sled tester, crashes through the roof of the Webster home shortly before Christmas, it guarantees an unusual holiday season. Mr. Moose has a broken ankle and is going to stay with Billy, his sister Kiki and their mother until it has mended. In the meantime, the Websters have their hands full with unusual dinners, meddlesome neighbors, unearthly travels and unexpected visitors. Gradually, the family comes to love Mr. Moose, and when Santa arrives to fetch him, the children's visiting grandmother postpones the inevitable by serving Santa some alcoholic holiday cheer. Finally, though, it's time for Mr. Moose to say goodbye. Billy is particularly reluctant to see him go, but with Mr. Moose's clout, Billy's Christmas wish for his separated parents to reunite just might come true. The attractive overall design and the appealing nature of the sophisticated cartoon-like illustrations perk up this holiday offering. Unfortunately, the ending is rather saccharine, and asides clearly directed at grownups interrupt the flow of the story. A holiday offering most suited for an adult audience. (Fiction. 7-10, adult) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This Christmas story offers something a bit more substantial than Rudolph. Somewhere in a small German village, while on a practice run with Santa's sleigh, an elk named Mr. Moose crash-lands into Billy Wagner's house, smashing his mother's IKEA coffee table. The damage to Mr. Moose is a sprained leg, so Mrs. Wagner allows him to stay in the barn while he recuperates. Soon, the neighbors know that Mr. Moose--who speaks formally and a bit archly--is staying at the Wagners. Billy recounts these events with aplomb, but there is a wistful side to his telling as well: the family, which also includes his older, know-it-all sister, is facing its first Christmas since the parents divorced. Meyer's richly colored cartoon illustrations nicely balance Steinhofel's straight-faced text. Billy's parents don't reunite, and predictably Santa Claus appears, but many other elements, packed into the climax and denouement, will surprise and delight gentle readers. Like Mr. Moose, Billy is a dignified character that young readers will appreciate. --Francisca Goldsmith Copyright 2006 Booklist
