posted on 26 Mar 2025

Marty Moose by Claire Powell 

I love the practical and compact format of this charming book which is made even more attractive by a front cover suffused with bright colours. The eponymous moose looks out at the reader and is shown scampering across the page dressed as a postman.  I need to explain that he is actually a mouse whose birth certificate had a splodge of ink where the ‘u’ should have been, and then it could not be changed.

When I shared this with a group of five-year-olds they immediately noticed the discrepancy but seemed satisfied with the explanation. They also pointed out that some of this postman's letters were blowing away! We agreed that he looked like a fun character, but were also concerned that he wasn’t taking his job very seriously!

A great deal of thought has gone into the book design featuring a strong palette of red, white and shades of grey used in several different ways throughout. We are provided with a useful map of Little Ditch at the start plus an intriguing prologue to set the scene and provide us with some useful information that is not available to  Marty. He is very excited to be starting his first ever job as Postmouse of Little Ditch, following in the footsteps of his now retired great aunt Ada. His day starts with the usual family breakfast mayem cheered on by his big noisy family who wish him well:

‘Baffling blackberries, Marty thought, I’m only delivering letters! How hard can it be?’

We agreed that this might be a clue that he was going to have a few unforeseen problems. As the story unfolds, he learns to cope with Cyril the Shrew, a work colleague who bombards him with complicated information and certainly looks untrustworthy. Marty manages his tasks fairly well at first, but is then bamboozled by the confusing underground labyrinth of Whisker Warren. Not only does he get lost, but he is terrified by strange humming and gnashing noises. We wait with him nervously in the dark until we meet the source of the extraordinary racket, Nibbles Frizzby, an eccentric looking rabbit who bears a passing resemblance to Bugs Bunny. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship which gets Marty into all kinds of scrapes and adventures. Together, they rampage through squelchy gardens, a booby- trapped yard and creepy, stinky houses to deliver the post to various creatures. We jumped with fright when they met Velma Carbuncle, ’a whopping warty toad’ and laughed out loud as she prepared for battle with Vern, another toad. More cartoon like fun includes a pheasant that inflates to the size of a beach ball and is powered by flatulence (always popular with younger readers). Just when we were breathing a sigh of relief as Marty escapes from the toads, he meets ‘a ferocious fanged fur monster!!’ Could his day get any harder? I won’t spoil the ending for you as you will want to enjoy this roller- coaster read for yourself. 

I strongly recommend this engaging chapter book published by Walker Books. You will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop and if they don’t have copies on their shelves, they will be happy to order it for you.

 

Karen Argent

March 2025