Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit

by Catherine Rayner

Ernest is a rather large moose with a rather large problem. He is so big he can't fit inside his book! Luckily, Ernest is also a very determined moose, and he and his little chipmunk friend aren't going to give up easily. With some tape, odd bits of paper, and plenty of enthusiasm, the pair constructs an enormous gatefold page by themselves, and everything fits together in the end.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Humor, Friendship, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2009

About the author

See also Catherine Rayner for works on the Bronte sisters

Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, young son and a handful of creatures: Shannon the horse, Ena the grey cat and a goldfish called Richard.

She finds huge inspiration in her pets and often uses them as models, frequently asking Ena to pose so that she can study her posture and movement. Then she translates sketches of Ena into characters such as dragons and hares, not to mention moose and bears! But it was creatures of a wilder kind that inspired her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile - Catherine spent hours and hours watching and sketching tigers (in freezing temperatures) at Edinburgh Zoo.

Winner of the 2009 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her second book Harris Finds His Feet, Catherine has now been shortlisted four times for the award. She was also awarded the Best New Illustrator Award at the Booktrust Early Years Awards in 2006 and was named one of Booktrust’s ten Best New Illustrators in 2008. In 2010, she was the inaugural illustrator in residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 2012 Catherine’s book Iris and Isaac won the UKLA Children’s Book Award and the Dutch edition of Solomon Crocodile has been selected as PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 in The Netherlands by the CPNB.

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

اگه نتونستی با یه محیط خودت رو وفق بدی، محیط خودت رو بساز!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute! Earnest is an adorable moose, but he's also very big, and he doesn't fit in the book! He is also a determined moose, and doesn't give up. But, try as he might, the book is just too small. Fortunately, his little chipmunk friend has a very big idea... The ending is a treat that I'm sure children will enjoy. Adorable illustrations and some fun read-aloud words make this a winner.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book. Ernest is so, so cute. This is a great story for teaching kids to “think outside the box” and mostly it’s just fun. It’s a perfect read aloud book; there is a fold out page at the end, and this is not a board book (at least my edition isn’t) so very young children should be supervised while this book is being read. Beginning readers will probably enjoy this book too. Great for animal lovers and book lovers both. I took one look at Earnest and fell in love. For me, the book was slightly too slight a story for me to give it 5 stars, but I really enjoyed this and recommend it to all young children.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lovely story for children up to year 1, it contains lots of alliteration and bigger fonts with capitalised words to emphasise how big Ernest is compared to the book, and also implies emphasis for reading aloud. There are lovely illustrations, and it also features Ernest’s creative little friend who comes up with a solution so that Ernest can fit into the book. At the end there is a big, colourful illustration of Ernest which folds outwards and includes some collage artwork as a background, which children could look at and create their own collages in art sessions. The story is quite short so it could also be used as a class story. It could also be used to introduce children to comparisons of sizes which could be used in maths.

[Maeve Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Ernest, the moose who doesn't fit” by Catherine Rayner is a nice book for early years children. Ernest is a large moose who cannot fit into the book so as we read the book we can only see parts of him. His small chipmunk friend is trying desperately to get him to fit into the book but to no avail. Just when they are about to give up, his little friend comes up with a great idea to fit him in the book which is to stick some pages together so we can finally see Ernest in all his glory. On the last page of the book there is a larger fold out page which shows a full picture of Ernest and his friend at last. I would recommend reading this book to early years children as I think they would enjoy the mystery of how to get Ernest in the book, and also the large fold out image at the end.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must have been in a grumpy mood the first time I read this book. At the time, it didn't appeal to me, maybe because I was tired of fold out pages and how quickly they get ripped when part of a library collection.

Upon re-reading, I find that I very much like this title. The language is fantastic and the illustrations are charming. I'm looking forward to sharing it with my storytime families.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a humorous tale about a big moose and his attempts to fit inside the pages of a book. The narrative is short and entertaining and the illustrations are terrific, especially the fold out pages at the end. This is a wonderful book for younger children. Adorable.

[معصومه توکلی]

عنوان ترجمهٔ فارسی: ارنست، گوزنی که برای کتاب بزرگ بود!

[Stephanie Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Ernest is about a large moose that can’t fit into the book so makes the book bigger. The text is presented in different sizes making the layout interesting and engaging for children. The book is great for young children because it encourages friendship and working together as a team to help someone in need.

[Ashley Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Ernest’ is a book about an enormous moose who finds it hard to fit in-quite literally! He finds it so hard to even fit on to the pages of the book. Yet with a little determination and help from his marsupial friend they work closely together to find an alternative way of accommodating Moose.
The books only downfall is that it ends so soon. I really liked the illustrations which brought the challenging plan of trying to help Ernest fit in, right into the readers lap through an open flap book style. The story wittingly points out the obvious which is that not everybody feels like they ‘fit in’ sometimes and it conveys the idea that if you try to fit in with a little bit of help you will do eventually.

The appropriate age range for this book would be KS 1 simply because I would not expect children in the Early Years to understand the books subtleties-having said this-there would be an option to read the story to support curriculum work with the theme of Animals. Children in upper KS 1 would benefit from using the book during guided reading session and could discuss some of the ‘WOW’ words within the text such as, shimmy, shunt, squidge, squodge and scrumple. This could lead onto a creative writing lesson where children could apply some of the learned ‘WOW’ words into their own writing or text.

The book could also be used during a PSHE lesson to talk about times when the children have had to work together with a friend to complete a task and to share times when they may have felt like they did not fit in. This could then lead onto a task where the children work in groups to try to solve a practical problem together by ensuring that every child contributes and everybody’s ideas and opinions are consider as valid.

[Adele Last]

This is a story about a very large Moose called Ernest. This moose has a mouse for a best friend and together they try to come up with a solution to solve Ernest’s problem of not fitting into his book. After trying a number of solutions, the mouse disappears and makes a surprise for Ernest. The last page of the book folds out into four pages and the Moose is standing tall in his page. He thanks his friend and smiles.
I like this story as it teaches children about the idea of feeling like you don’t fit in with a certain group. This story encourages children to work together in order to solve problems as well as encouraging them to help others feel as if they fit in. This story is quite simple as it has simple sentences that are written in different sizes to emphasise the size of the Moose. This would be appropriate for younger children as there is not a lot of text to read and it is accompanied with beautiful pictures that, again, emphasise the size of the moose as he does not fit into the pages of the book.
This would be an appropriate book for a teacher to use within a personal, social and emotional lesson such as Circle Time as this would allow the teacher to discuss the idea of not fitting in and how children could try to solve this issue. After this, the book could be left for the children to read independently. This could encourage them to discuss issues that they feel insecure about.
I would use this book with children from a young age, possibly from Reception class, as this is an issue that could arise in any classroom.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernest has a problem, he doesn’t fit into the book! He tries to shuffle in forward, but that doesn’t work. He tries to squeeze in backward. Nope. He can get his middle to fit, but not his legs or head. Luckily, Ernest has a small friend with a big idea. It’s just going to take some tape and some paper. They work for a long time until… Well, you will just have to read it to find out how they manage to fit Ernest into his book. Children will respond to the visual puzzle of how to get Ernest to fit into the book. The final unveiling is definitely worth the suspense and build up.

Rayner has created a very simple book that is filled with a gentle humor. The process of problem solving is played out here, from the issue itself through trial and error, and finally the brilliant solution! It is a book that also demonstrations creativity and perseverance. Rayner’s illustrations are charming mix of media with paint, crayon and paper arts. The background to the illustrations is graph paper giving a great mathematical and structural feel to the whimsical art. It is a dynamic pairing.

A great book to share with a group, this book will have everyone cheering Ernest and his friend and their solution to how to fit a big moose in a small book. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

[Nisha Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernest is a large moose with a very big problem, he can not fit on the page! However with the help of his friend and determination he tries all sorts of ways to be able to fit into the book. Until at the end where his friend the chipmunk helps him realise that he did not have to change anything about himself to be able to fit in, the book adapted itself to fit Ernest. So the last page folds out into a bigger page and Ernest finally fits!

This is a wonderful and funny story to be read in KS1 with a great underlying message of acceptance and fitting in no matter what you look like, your shape, your size or anything else you are not confident about. It can provide younger children with the message that it is OK to be different. In instances where there may be some form of bullying in the class or a child being left out, this is a great story to read and feedback feelings and ideas with the rest of the class. It is a lovely story to read out to the class with words that stand out such as 'Large' and 'Big' to emphasize the point and clear for all children to see and perhaps read along with at those points.

[Chloe Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner.

This is a story about a moose named Ernest, who has a problem, he is very large and cannot find a way to fit into the book. Throughout the story the illustrations show different parts of Ernest’s body and different ways he tries to fit on to the page. However Ernest does not give up and with the help of his little friend a chipmunk they come up with a plan. The last page of this book is a fold out and shows how Earnest and his friend have found paper and tape to create a big enough space for Earnest. Throughout the story children will enjoy trying to think about how Ernest could fit into the book. The children might also discuss how Earnest may feel and how his friend may make him feel. I really enjoyed this story and the idea behind it. I believe the messages portrayed in this book are not to give up. The book also encourages problem solving, team work and the importance of friendship.

[Hollie Westmore]

Catherine Rayner- Ernest.

This is a lovely story about two friends that could not be more different! The story is based on a small chipmunk and a very large moose! The moose is so large that he does not fit any where regardless of his best efforts. I love the words chosen in the text such as shimmy, shuffle, and shunt! This story may be useful to read to children whilst they are learning the phonemes ‘sh’.
I believe the story would be suitable to young children due to the large font, short text and large pictures. This story allows for large discussions during PSHE lessons or circle times. Rayner exposes children to the importance of working together, looking after your friends and how two completely different people and become good friends! It exposes children to diversity and shows children that it is fine to be different from your friends.
I strongly recommend this story to support PSHE lessons or circle times within the Early Years Foundation Stage.

[Laura O Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit, is a wonderfully illustrated book by Catherine Rayner. Literally, this normal sized picture book is about a Moose who is entirely too big to fit into it. Throughout the book, Ernest tries to squish, squash and shimmy into the pages, but to no avail. His unusual solution is to "tape" together spare scraps of "paper" to create a large gatefold page at the end, where Ernest triumphiantly squeezes his whole body in. Children will love this surprise pop-out page at the end of the book. This book would also be a great dialogue started on social acceptance and "fitting in", both important issues on the mind of school age children.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always suspected that Mo Willems's Big Frog Can't Fit In, with its giant spindly foldy parts, was a parable of reasonable accommodation (as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, in part, "making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities").

I am pretty exactly sure that Ernest? and his little squirrel-ish buddy, who collect paper and tape it together to make a big enough book for the moose to stand up straight and look out at the reader? Are teaching us ALL about reasonable accommodation.

[William O · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this picture book by Catherine Rayner. Ernest is too big to fit into the book even with the help of his little chipmunk friend he cannot fit. However there is a charming solution to the problem!!! The story gives the idea that there is a place for everyone and the importance of working together. It also captivates the child into the thinking of "How will Ernest fit into the book?"
I think this book is suitable for a younger age group who will enjoy the illustraions and simple short text.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My students and my children all got a kick out of this book. My 6 year old immediately asked me to read it again...and my 10 and nearly 12 year olds appreciated it also. At school, it was our Principal's Book of the Month for February highlighting the value of persistence and determination. Poor Ernest is a large moose who wants to fit in the book...but no matter how hard he "tries to squidge, squodge, and squeeze", he can't fit. Until his little friend gets a BIG idea. Great example of metafiction/books that break the fourth wall. Great illustrations. Fun!

[Emer Mattimoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernest is a Moose who cannot fit into a book. He tries repeatedly but cannot fit because he is too big. His friend, a small mouse comes up with an idea to help Ernest solve his problem. They both make a big book together, that folds out into a large poster. There is nice use of illustrations and is easy to follow with simple vocabulary and pictures.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audience: Primary
Genre: Fantasy

Ernest the lovable moose has a BIG problem! He is too tall and too wide to fit into his own book! Luckily he has a chipmunk friend who is there to help. If you like books about perseverance, friendship, and a lot of heart you will love this book! Will Ernest find a way to fit into his book? Find out for yourself in this fun and unforgettable story.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very brief book but the kids loved it when Ernest managed to fit in the book! Not really a spoiler. I almost wish it had been a bit longer, and maybe that his friend the little helpful chipmunk had been introduced.

One difficulty was I kept calling the moose Ernst and Ernest, which might've been confusing for the kids...

[Nick Swarbrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really dislike the way we talk about how we could “use” this book or that - but this simple and brilliant little story had me thinking instantly about how children and adults might explore books and book design through reading this and exploring its themes of size and choice and friendship and...and...

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific story. and the gatefold spread that finishes this book is a perfect ending. But it also means that either I need to add this book to my storytime collection or resign myself to its dying the minute some nanny lets little Jacob or Isabella look at it on their own!

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. I'm going to have to remember to plan a big/little story time just to read this book! Would pair nicely with Mo Willem's pop-out book "Big Frog Can't Fit In"

[Susan Dunn]

Would be super fun for a "too big" storytime along with "I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean"!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

great for story time, because it is hard to find short moose picture books

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innovation and collaboration are themes in this simple, delightful book that is a perfect read aloud for young children.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clever telling of a friendship between a very large moose and a chipmunk and how they work together to solve a problem.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We clapped for the ending. I love ingenuity.