A MOOSE FOR JESSICA

The true story of the extraordinary three-month visit of a moose to a cow on a Vermont farm, with marvelous color photos by the cow's owner. The moose arrived on a misty October morning, and almost immediately began hanging around the surprised Hereford, giving her affectionate nuzzles. Public interest grew as his stay lengthened--the state game warden checked out the situation, deciding that the moose was healthy (in particular, he did not have the brainworms that may cause bizarre behavior in these animals), and there were more than 70,000 sightseers altogether. Carrara kept commercialism at a minimum, although he did have a few T-shirts and bumper stickers made up for souvenirs; he also decided, even though the moose had become progressively more friendly, never to touch him, respecting his wildness. When the giant antlers fell on schedule in January, the moose disappeared--at least for that year. The straightforward, low-key narrative gives enough of the natural history of the moose to answer questions that arise, and allows the poignant if tenuous relationship of man and beast, as well as cow and moose, to shine through without overdramatization. Unique, fascinating, and delightful.