Two ten year old boys, Waino and Ivar, returned from hunting one cold winter's day and skied back to the livery stable where Ivar's father boarded horses and mules. As Waino pinged his air rifle at a fence he dreamed about the moose he could have shot. All at once there was a very sad sound. It went "Haawwnnk -- hawnk -- hawnk -- haawwnnkk!" The two boys dropped everything. "What do you think that is?" Ivar asked. "Maybe it was a moose," Waino replied softly. And it was a moose -- though it was a while before Ivar's father or Mr. Ryan, the policeman, or the Mayor or any of the townspeople believed it. But what do you do with a moose? What can you do with a moose? Honk was hungry. He ate about a ton of Ivar's father's expensive hay. Then he went to sleep. Something had to be done, but Honk was naturally such a sad moose, you couldn't help feeling sorry for him. With perfect humor and understanding -- of small boys and a problem moose -- the author and artist have created a favorite children's classic. Honk the Moose won distinction as a Newbery Honors Book in 1936, the Lewis Carol Shelf Award in 1970, and was listed in Cattermole's 100 Best Children's Books of the 20th Century.

Its hooves were supposedly a cure for epilepsy; it is the mascot of the Seattle Mariners baseball team and the clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch; and its meat is a delicacy. The moose is a fascinating but elusive animal of the north, and its little-known natural history is the focus of Kevin Jackson’s engaging new book. Moose explains moose’s biological history and describes its natural environments around the world, including Canada, New England, Alaska, and Scandinavia, where the moose is the national animal of Sweden and Norway. Jackson considers why the moose is really an elk and an elk is a wapiti, and he also looks at the controversy behind the naming of the Irish Elk. Moose explores the animal’s role in human history since the Stone Age, including the “alces” in Julius Caesar’s history of the Gallic Wars and its influence on figures such as poet Ted Hughes and Theodore Roosevelt and his Bull Moose Party. The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, a 150-foot statue being built in Sweden, and colorful moose lore all appear in this wide-ranging study, making this an essential read for naturalists and moose lovers alike.

Two Canada geese start a family.

Separated from her husband in New York and between jobs, Louise Storr finds herself at the steps of her grandfather's Iowa farm. Grandpa Storr, full of years and wisdom, is a patriarch who has been the master of the Storr lands for generations. Witty and grand, he rules his homestead with a serene indifference to the petulant brood of relatives who fill the household. Grandpa Storr immediately detects in Louise the ancient Storr qualities of candor, independence and wit which have been so sadly lacking in the rest of the Storrhaven brood. While some members of the family and community look on with growing ill-will, Grandpa and Louise become very fond of one another. The young woman's marital difficulties are the subject of much gossip and when she takes to riding in the country with a married neighbor and accompanying him to dances, the family's ill-will turns to malevolence. The author has created an enormously life-like gallery of Iowans including a greedy and wasp-tongued niece by marriage, her lazy farm lawyer husband, a vague and foolish step-daughter, and a reliable farmhand fond of corn whiskey. Stong's sensitivity towards his characters and his obvious love of the farmland that sustains them, make Stranger's Return a classic well-worth rediscovery. Stranger's Return was also made into a popular movie by MGM starring Lionel Barrymore and Miriam Hopkins.

As a nine-year old city boy travels from Des Moines, Iowa by train to visit his grandfather's farm in the early 1900s, he imagines how he will impress his cousins ― with stories of skyscrapers and trolley cars, automobiles and the Union Park Zoo, Ingersoll Amusement Park, and the Capitol ― things he thinks might dazzle farm boys. However, as his cousins and his grandfather introduce him to country life, the eyes that are dazzled become his own. The Iowa Kids 1910 series is a collection of three unforgettable stories -- humorously captured and simply told. Farm Boy, High Waters, No-Sitch the Hound.

Bert was nine years old and really needed a dog. So along came No-Sitch. He was a dog that mooed and galloped, loped, singlefooted, paced or cantered and often tried to do them all at once. As a puppy he stood about two-feet-six in his bare feet and was about three cats long. Afterward he grew. Probably the most unusual, endearing dog ever to grace the pages of a book, No-Sitch is a one-of-a-kind dog in a one-of-a-kind story. The Iowa Kids 1910 series is a collection of three unforgettable stories -- humorously captured and simply told. Farm Boy, High Waters, No-Sitch the Hound.

A Hula-Hooping moose, a badger with a bumblebee umbrella, a rabbit in a cashmere sweater, and a very wet bear star in this unpredictable and laugh-out-loud picture book in which having fun gets the best of a grumpy bear. It looks like a wet and dreary day for Bear and his trio of friends. How could he possibly have fun when he is soaked? But Badger, Rabbit, and Moose don't seem to mind. In fact, Moose can still hula hoop! And it looks like so much fun. Might Bear like to try? Here is a story that shows that fun is not dependent on sunshine and blue skies. In fact, it might be more fun to be soaked!