Mooz/Moose

Written and illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Translated by Mary Ann Corbiere 

Groundwood Books

978-1-77946-082-0

32 pp.

Ages 3–6

September 2026 

 

 

Mooz, which means Moose in Anishinaabemowin, is a cat. But Mooz is more than cat. From the way she looks and the way she acts, Mooz resembles a moose but also a horse, a marten, a raccoon, and a plethora of other animals. Mooz is one of kind.

Illustration by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley from Mooz/Moose, written by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Told in both English and Anishinaabemowin, Anishinaabe author-illustrator Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, introduces young readers to different animals with the message that we're all, like Mooz, a little bit of everything and wholly ourselves. Mooz may be a cat, but she can swing her tail like a horse, climb a tree like a raccoon, sit still like a toad, and curl up like a squirrel. Mooz is a cat, who is like a moose in some ways, but also like so many animals. Best of all, she's just Mooz.

Illustration by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley from Mooz/Moose, written by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (a.k.a. Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley), who illustrated Nancy Cooper's Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome (2023) and Brittany Luby's Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh/This is How I Know (2021), keeps with his distinct Woodland Art style but, if possible, gives us even more of it. The heavy outlined elements and his bold colours emphasize more of the shapes within, giving more texture and substance to his characters. (He reserves the heavy dark outlines for Mooz and the people whose lives she graces.) Mooz is the highlight of the story and Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley gives us Mooz in all her animal inclinations. Anyone who tells you she's just a cat is sadly mistaken. She is vibrant and distinct, and even more than the animals she emulates. 

Illustration by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley from Mooz/Moose, written by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Readers will rejoice that Mooz/Moose is a dual-language book that accentuates the Nishnaabemwin dialect (translations by Mary Ann Corbiere) of the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language. It gives a different perspective and richness of storytelling. Moreover, by giving us a story of his own Mooz, Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley makes his observations personal, endearing, and culturally relevant, and delivers a story that will have readers looking at how their own pets reflect the attributes of other animals. They are, in their own way, wondrously singular blends too.