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The Children’s Book Review | December 12, 2019
My Friend Moose’r McDan
Written by Sky Danley
Illustrated by Alli Coate
Age Range: 5-6
Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Sky Danley Productions (October 8, 2019)
ISBN-13: 978-0997345100
What to expect: Hunting, Wildlife, and Friendship
My Friend Moose’r McDan is a delightfully colorful picture book that introduces the concepts of conservation, gun violence, and friendship, through an unexpectedly enjoyable story that is suitable for ages five and up.
A bear with his hunting rifle spots a moose. The bear would typically consider a moose fair game, but there is something about this moose that causes the bear to pause. The moose is Moose’r McDan, the friendliest moose in all of the land. Intrigued by the moose’s giant grin, the bear takes a moment to ask why Moose’r McDan is smiling. When the moose replies that he is smiling at the thought of a possible friendship with the bear, the gun is laid aside, and the pair form a strong bond based on their adventures in nature. That is, until winter arrives and the bear must hibernate, leaving Moose’r McDan in need of a new playmate. Could this new friend be you, the reader?
Through good use of whitespace, the bright illustrations pop from the pages with an artistic, digital block print style. The pictures are inviting and exude an excellent level of joy and friendship that make a just-right setting for the introduction of a discussion on guns that could otherwise, and potentially, feel overwhelming for a young reader. Printed on quality thick paper, My Friend Moose’r McDan is a joy to hold and read. The rhyming text bounces along, never stumbling.
If a story that declares friendship over war, conservation, and the opportunity to discuss gun violence, is what you’re looking for, then My Friend Moose’r McDan is recommended for your next read.
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About the Author
Sky Danley
SKY DANLEY was born in the quintessential midwestern town of Peoria, Illinois — a town so ordinary that Hollywood producers famously ask, “but how will it play in Peoria?”
During his childhood, Sky’s father worked as a computer programmer at the company that built NASA‘s Onboard Apollo Guidance Computer, a technological marvel that enabled man‘s dream to land on the moon.
Watching this engineering feat as a child motivated Sky to a lifelong passion for the dreams of aviation and the ideals of innovation. Sky even attempted, with his childhood friends at the time, to build a rocket-propelled flying bicycle.
Following this passion, Sky attended Purdue University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, majoring in aerodynamics and minoring in rocket propulsion.
After completing a GE-NASA contract for the computer modeling of airflow, Sky entered and served as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, earning his wings as a USAF Pilot.
Sky later flew as a Captain for the legendary Trans World Airlines (TWA), an airline once owned by the famed aviation innovator Howard Hughes, whose Hollywood connections forever christened TWA, “The Airline of the Stars.”
Also drawn to the Stars, Sky now dreamed of modeling innovative visual stories for the film industry, and with that goal, he enrolled at Harvard University, earning a Master’s Degree in Film and Studio Arts, concentrating on visual story and writing his thesis at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, where he cataloged and documented the unique story creation processes of Walt’s original 1930s story department, which emphasized the visual over the dialogue.
Sky continues this visual story interest today, writing two award-winning children’s picture books and currently producing a 16-minute animated cartoon about an inventor moose who must overcome adversity to build a flying bicycle, a cartoon Sky hopes will encourage today’s children to become tomorrow’s innovators, creating a future where dreams can soar…
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