Duck and Moose: Moose Blasts Off!

Moose is busy playing his favorite imagining game of being an astronaut when Duck interrupts him. It’s hard to keep on imagining when one is interrupted. But Duck wants to play. Moose explains that playing astronaut is a one-person game. Duck can watch, but he can’t play. Duck tries to stay quiet but can’t help yelling out, “Dance off!” which ruins Moose’s imaginary game. Duck keeps annoying Moose until Moose tries to teach Duck to use his own imagination, something Duck has never done before. It does not go well. Can Duck and Moose find a way to play together that will be fun for both of them?

Kirk Reedstrom both wrote and illustrated this fun graphic early reader. The characters both have big personalities and need to learn to compromise and communicate to get to a satisfactory relationship. These are very real problems for young readers, things they will relate to and be entertained by. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and filled with lots of fun details to help keep emerging readers engaged. This is an excellent friendship story with good life lessons youngsters won’t even know they are learning while also building new reading skills.