SPRUCE THE MOOSE CUTS LOOSE

Here it's midwinter, and Spruce's huge antlers are still on his head, a major inconvenience: he gets stuck in the bathroom door, accidentally breaks his clothesline, and—worst—is prevented from reaching friend Bascom's birthday gift from the back of his jam cupboard. In desperation, he takes a shabby muffin tin to the party as a substitute, but fortunately his antlers get caught yet again, in Bascom's doorway, and this time they fall off—to become an admired gift. Stapler recounts Spruce's predicament and its resolution with humor and verve, delightfully extended in her pen and watercolor illustrations, where the appealing forest friends live in enviably cozy houses. (Picture book. 4-8)