Moosey Moose: Thingy Things

Moosey Moose wants his long pants.

PreSchool-K-Moosey Moose (he actually looks more like a bull) is having a tantrum because he wants his long pants. Sluggy Slug just won't go, and Whaley Whale hides under an upholstered chair. Wormy Worm "wiggles and woggles" to such a degree that it's difficult to see "Which end is front" and "Which end is back." Using muted shades of earth-tone colors, Raschka fills in his thick black-line drawings with broad brush strokes. On the back covers the publisher states, "The THINGY THINGS series teaches young children to read using simple sounds paired with easy word repetitions." Unfortunately, the illustrations don't always support the text. For example, one spread features a picture of stubborn Moosey Moose opposite the words: "His long pants." Readers will need some decoding skills or an excellent sight vocabulary to be able to read them. While the format is just right for little hands and the sometimes whimsical illustrations are not completely without child appeal, these titles lack the staying power of Raschka's earlier work.
Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Raschka (Like, Likes, Like, 1999, etc.) relies on repetition to create very easy books for beginning readers in these first four of a new series. Moosey Moose is perturbed; he can't find his long pants. Shorts just wont do; Moosey Moose is mad! When he finally finds his trousers, a big grin spreads across his face. Raschkaa bright brush-stroke paintings explain just how a moose puts a pair of pants to use; he wears them on his antlers! These little books (others include Wormy Worm, Whaley Whale, and Sluggy Slug) look more like toddlers books than readers. But beginning readers will be able to move through the simple stories quickly, which may be the very thing to build their reading confidence. (Picture book 3-5) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.