Children’s Book Review – The Moose Who Needed Glasses

Written by Elaine W. Kaufman / Illustrated by 18/1 Graphics Studio

The Moose Who Needed Glasses belongs on every family’s bookshelf. Written by Elaine Kaufman, this wonderful story took me back to my childhood and those awfully clumsy and innocent years. In this tale of self-discovery, a moose has a difficult time understanding who he is – no, really… he thinks he’s a mouse!

Struggling with near-sighted vision, he can’t tell if he’s a moose, a mouse, or even a whale for that matter. Determined to discover his identity, he sets out on an adorable adventure through the wild to get to the bottom of it. You’ll find that he’s searching for much more than his specific species. He’s on a quest to understand himself, inside and out.

I’ll be who I am.. so happy to say: I am lost no more having found my way (Kaufman, 2022).

With touching lines like this, Kaufman crafts a story filled with wisdom and heart. As I followed our protagonist’s adventure, I couldn’t help but feel so sad when he desperately asked every animal in sight questions about his identity. The poor moose!

He begged a giraffe for help. He stood face-to-face with an alligator, only to walk away from it thinking he may be a whale. Then believing he’s a mouse, he nibbled on cheese – only to find himself starving because he was eating a mouse’s portion size. Losing hope, he ventures into the lion’s den, just to receive a cold shoulder from him.

It turns out that no matter who the moose confronts, no one is capable of helping him discover himself. At this moment, you see the profound nature of the story. Its most powerful message means as much for adults as it does children – only he could truly discover himself. Not the lion, not the alligator, not the giraffe. The moose needed to see through his own eyes, and fortunately he is able to do that when a kind owl helps him out and gives him some new specs.

On the surface, he obviously needed glasses to see. But the book goes far beyond that. It’s a tale about looking deep inside, understanding yourself, loving yourself, and being proud of yourself. Sometimes you need to go on an adventure through a lion’s den to find your way, and that’s okay.

Moose shook his head roundly and smiled large and wide. No glasses were needed to look deep inside (Kaufman, 2022).

I loved this book. I recommend it to every family with young children who are learning to read. Even if you don’t have children, it is still worthwhile! We all could use a little reminder to look inside ourselves. Beyond its charming rhymes and seamless storytelling, its illustrations are superb. Each page is rich with color, and the illustrations and text compliment each other flawlessly.

Although just released, I’m anticipating The Moose Who Needed Glasses to be a top seller on BookBaby Bookshop for a long time. Children’s literature is such an art, and to master it, you need to nail every little detail. This book does exactly that. I hope you get a copy and allow this heartwarming story to bring some light and love into your home.