Morris Tells Boris Mother Moose Stories and Rhymes

Morris and Boris

by Bernard Wiseman

In order to help Boris the Bear fall asleep, Morris the Moose tells his friend some very familiar stories.

Genres: Childrens

Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

About the author

Bernard Wiseman was an American author of children's books. He was best known for his Morris and Boris books. He wrote actively from 1958 to 1995.

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the typical argumentative-type story from Morris and Boris. Morris inserts Boris into Goldilocks and the Three Bears and says there was Papa bear, Mama bear, Baby bear, and a big fat bear named Boris. Boris then argues with Morris to call him chubby. But when Morris says Boris gets a small bowl of porridge like baby bear, Boris argues for a big bowl, despite Morris saying he doesn't want Boris to be fat and he shouldn't eat that much. So there was a lot of talk of amounts of food eaten and being fat which did not age well and I could have done without.

This was very middle of the road for me. The Morris nostalgia factor was there, but it wasn't my favorite Morris story. When we read Morris and Boris at the Circus I remember not being very impressed, either. I think I prefer Morris's innocent naivety in the absence of Boris's harsh get-it-right corrections.

[Robert Shupe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little kids reading or listening to this read aloud will find it amuzing.
It takes classic children's stories and uses a lot of word play for laughs.
A moose tells his bear friend altered stories to help him fall asleep is the premise of the book.
Bernard Wisemam handles writing and art. There is one picture where the bear is winking and looks more like a Cyclops bear.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful modification of several stories that will cause children to correct the narrator along with the other main character. Boris is a large bear that wants to go to sleep and needs a bedtime story to help him. Morris is the narrator and a moose, hence the phrase “Mother Moose.”
The stories being modified are “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” the goose that laid golden eggs and Little Bo-Peep. In the case of Goldilocks, there are four bears, Boris is included in the story. There are several puns that will delight the young listener, for example, “Little Bo-sheep has lost her peep.”
The illustrations are simple and effective, adding a great deal to the telling of the story. If I had encountered this book when my daughter was young, I would have read it to her and she would have been delighted.