This Moose belongs to Me! by Oliver Jeffers

ISBN: 9780007263905

One day, it just so happens, that a moose comes to Wilfred. Wilfred just knows that the moose was meant to be HIS, and he calls him Marcel. He explains to Marcel the rules of being a good pet, including serving him, not making a noise when he wants to listen to music, going wherever Wilfred wants to go, keeping close to home and providing shelter from the rain. And mostly Marcel is a very obedient pet…

But Wilfred unwillingly discovers that someone else thought they owned the moose, and to top it all, Marcel doesn’t “heel” when he orders him to. Wilfred stomps off in the direction of home, but in his fury trips over and gets tangled in his own ball of string. It is Marcel that comes along and “rescues” him, causing Wilfred to forgive him, and they reach a compromise… not exactly meeting Wilfred’s demands.

This witty picture book is another brilliant, thought-provoking contribution from the studio of Oliver Jeffers, to proper, high quality literature for children!

It can open discussion to a myriad of topics, such as

things we (personally) own, and how it makes us proud to own it
what makes a thing our property – how it comes to be owned by us in the first place
that it is a huge responsibility if we claim something to be ours
when we claim to own something, it implies that we have the right to use it as we see fit, or transfer it to someone else if we so chose
when we claim to own something, we are usually regarded responsible for the actions of that thing
whether there is a difference between owning something inanimate and something live like an animal
if we own an animal, whether we can still do with it as we see fit
does owning an animal entail more responsibilities than an object?
whether anyone can actually own wild animals
whether anyone should “own” living things, including humans
that some animals are better suited to be “owned” by humans than others
animal care and its responsibilities
Who makes rules? Why are rules important to follow?
Bossiness
What if my friend doesn’t go along with what I want to do?
Do I always have to do what my friend wants me to do?