A cute little story about a moose who desperately wants to ride the train.
Wonderful illustrations that really bring the characters journey to life and kept us giggling with his silly antics.
A must have addition to a home or K-2 library.

Thanks to Net Galley and Gnome Road Publishing for the advanced copy.

Beautifully illustrated book of perseverance, just the right length to keep the child interested until the end. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Such a cute book about a moose who wants to ride a train. My moose-loving daughter loved it. The pictures are colorful and the story holds young readers’ attentions

Finley is a very friendly moose who loves watching the trains and seeing all the travelers from exciting destinations. One day he jumps on the train so he can experience it himself, but the conductor tells him that rules are rules. Wild animals aren't allowed. Finley doesn't give up though, trying all kinds of costumes to try to make it past the conductor's rules. When Finley gets to help and show he's not just wild but he's friendly too, maybe the rules can be changed.

As someone who grew up in Alaska, I can't get enough of picture books that involve Moose or Alaska. This book has both, so it earned all kinds of bonus points for me. The book didn't need the bonus points, though, because I would have loved it anyway. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and Finley and all of his costumes are entertaining and colorful. The book also shows that every now and then, if there isn't a good reason for a certain rule, maybe it's okay to change the rule and to stay optimistic and persistent.

This is the kind of book that kids will giggle at when looking at all the amusing illustrations. The book would be a delightful and charming addition to any bookshelf.

Great fun! Especially Finley in a tutu and toe shoes! Determination can be a good thing!
Can't wait to but a copy!
The illustrations by Chantelle Thorne and Burgen are simply delightful, imaginative, and colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Acrobat Reader from Gnome Road Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

Finley tries everything to ride the caboose of the train. He always gets kicked out but he is so creative! But one day Finley is given the opportunity to prove himself worthy or riding the caboose. And when he does he's more than welcome to ride every day!
A cute story of perseverance and acceptance. I really loved the illustrations.

Finley is a creative moose whose determination and kindness are instrumental in his journey through this tale. I hope C. Spizzirri decides to write more stories of the adventures of Finley!

This book is adorable! Finley is so cute and the illustrations are eye-catching! I look forward to more from Spizzirri!

This is the story of Finley the Moose who dreams of riding a train. He tries everything he can think of to get to just ride the train costumes and hiding in trunks but the conductor says "Rules are rules" The illustrations bring to life the story and all the silly costumes that Finley tries on. My one year old liked the onomatopoeia going thru the story especially "Clickety-clack"

Finley will win readers’ hearts as he struggles to achieve his big dream. This moose never gives up. The beautiful illustrations bring Finley to life as a moose to root for. Great read aloud fo he picture book audience.

An adorable story that champions perseverance, Finley is an endearing moose on a mission. Charming illustrations bring to life Finley's emotional adventure to find his place at Talkeetna station, making it easy to cheer for Finley's success.

Sometimes, old rules should be changed for the betterment of everyone. This is the lesson given in this read aloud of Finley the Moose who only wants to ride the train yet keeps getting told that he can’t because it’s against the rules. But when an unexpected accident stops the train, can Finley save the day and change the conductors mind?

Thank you NetGalley and Gnome Road Publishing for allowing me to receive and read this cute children’s title in exchange for my review.

This is a cute children’s book. The illustrations are adorable.. Rules are rules and should be followed, but in some cases rules are meant to be changed. Stay true to yourself and stay positive and you can make a change where needed.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been by anyone.

This picture book has incredibly cute illustrations, with a charming moose main character who is determined to ride on the train even though moose aren't allowed. The conductor keeps forcing him off the train, despite the many disguises that Finley attempts to hide that he is a moose. In the end, after Finley helps out in a bad situation, the conductor allows him to ride after all.

The story is very cute, but I have mixed feelings about the message. There are two main ways to interpret this. Either Finley is showing kids that people who suffer discrimination will only be treated fairly if they go to exceptional lengths to endear themselves, or he's showing them that they can break the rules enough times that they finally get their way in the end. Neither of those are great messages, even though it's a nice story if you don't think about it too much.

I live in Alaska and am no longer surprised to find a moose staring in the front window at me. Heck, I've even been to the Talkeetna Train Station/Depot where Finley's story begins. Haven't seen an moose, friendly or not, trying to sneak onto the caboose but I'll be looking for Finley next time I'm there. One of the images that came to mind as I read was one I've seen of a line of moose lined out on the railroad tracks, the train behind it being forced to stop as the moose clung to the tracks to avoid the deep snow to either side.

With bright, colorful illustrations, children will enjoy not just the whimsy of Finley's various disguise attempts but some peeks of Alaska itself in the backdround. I can envision parents reading the story with their children and all wondering aloud what disguise Finley might try next and why it might or might not work. My only qualm about the book was that I wish a subtle caution to all that in real life, moose are not friendly critters and not to try petting one. Maybe Finley could work it in as "unlike my other moose friends who want people to stay far away, I'm a friendly moose and won't hurt you." Let's just say, people here in Alaska (and, I'm sure, elsewhere) get trampled or even killed by moose, so while I enjoyed the fantasy of a friendly moose being helpful to humans, Not all moose are like Finley. Thus, 4.5 rounded to a 5.

Okay, that's my public service message of the day. Aside from the concern, this illustrated children's story was a hit. Thanks #NetGalley and #GnomeRoadPublishing for introducing me to Finley and bringing back some fun memories of visits to the Talkeetna area. I may name one of my next moose visitors Finley.

In Finley: A Moose on the Caboose, a moose called Finley dreams of riding the rails to distant destinations. After his first attempt to ride unnoticed on the caboose fails, persistent Finley comes back again and again with silly and sometimes stylish disguises. But strict Conductor Jones proclaims, "Rules are rules," and boots him from the train. Ultimately, Finley will have the opportunity to prove his worth to the Conductor and the rest of the passengers.

Overall, readers will enjoy this sweet and silly story. Finley is larger than life, both figuratively and literally. Implausibility is built into many illustrations as you see Finley with his massive antlers apparently don costumes much too small. Even the train itself doesn't seem large enough to contain him. Overall, the illustrations are fun and colourful, and leave plenty for the reader to take in.

There's some annoyances in the text. The plethora of onomatopoeia and alliteration is at times a bit much. More critically, the people Finley is so friendly to are questionable in their own friendliness. SPOILER: Late into the story, even as passengers are flung from their seats in a near miss, they're still worried about getting to their destinations on time rather than their own safety and the safety of those around them. This leaves a critical reader to wonder if these people even deserve the help of Finley the friendly moose to stay on schedule.

In the end, it doesn't feel like Finley was really the driving force of the story, or that his final attempt to board would have resulted in a better outcome if not for complete happenstance.

Most of the characters in this story present white, cis, straight, and able-bodied, though some diversity in skin tone is present.

A good addition to shelves, particularly for those in northern climates looking for more humourous and regionally relevant books.

Reviewed digitally via NetGalley.

Finley A Moose on the Caboose is such a fun read aloud! The lilting language is filled with alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, and delightfully descriptive words which are perfect for little ones! I love how Finley waits for no one and decides his own fate. But that doesn’t mean its easy! Finley should be put in the dictionary next to the word perseverance. I love how the illustrations included speech bubbles and I think the color palette really suits the setting and story. For Moose lovers, train lovers, and anyone who loves a great story!

This is such a sweet tale of a friendly moose who just wants to ride a train, but keeps being told wild animals aren't allowed. In response, he tries to disguise himself, but keeps getting caught. Then one day, the train is stopped on its tracks and Finley has the chance to come to the rescue and make everyone see him in a new light. Children will find the disguises hilarious and the happy ending can be used to show the moral of not judging before you know someone's intentions, and seeing the special strengths each individual has.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

This was such an adorable picture book and reminded me of a cross between Thomas the Tank Engine with the trains and then a touch of Rocky and Bullwinkle with the Moose. This is a book I could imagine that my younger brother would have loved when he was a child as he went through a stage where he was a huge fan of Rocky and Bullwinkle and he also loved Thomas the Tank Engine. This book is set in Alaska where it is a common occurrence to see moose around where people like myself have never seen one in real life as we don't get them in New Zealand - too warm of a climate here. Finley loves watching the trains go past and his dream is to take a ride across Alaska on the train, however, rules are rules and unfortunately, wild animals are not allowed on the trains. Throughout the book, Finley will have fun donning different disguises and trying to get past the conductor, but each time he fails and is kicked off the train. What happens though when a tree blocks the train tracks and the only person who can save them is Finley the Moose? Will Finley finally achieve his dream of being able to ride the caboose train? Find out in this cute picture book written by Candace Spirzzirri and illustrated by Burgen and Chantelle Thorne. Finley-a Moose on the Caboose is the perfect read for children aged 3-6 years old.

Finley: A Moose on the Caboose is written by Candace Spizzirri and illustrated by Cantelle and Burgen Thorne. Finley is a moose that lives near the train station and delights in greeting the train's passengers each day. After seeing all the travelers arriving and departing, Finley has one wish...to ride the rails! Finley tries everything in order to be able to hitch a ride on the caboose, but the conductor always says the same thing, "Rule are rules" and one of those rules is that no moose are allowed on the train. One day Finley finally manages to board the train without the conductor recognizing him, but when the passengers and conductor need his help he has to decide whether or not to blow his cover in order to help out.

I absolutely love the illustrations in this book! Finley is adorable and is displayed prominently on nearly every page. The spreads strike a good balance between being detailed and minimalistic. The spreads with a lot of action going on typically have multiple illustrations with minimal background, while the less action-packed spreads have greater detail and more background. Overall, the illustrations pair well with the text in order to create a cohesive and engaging story.

This is a book that I would use with elementary students due to the potential to teach multiple literary devices such as rhyme and onomatopoeia. There is a theme of "rules are rules", but sometimes rules need to be changed., which is something that elementary students may need to learn when adapting to the rules in different settings and classrooms.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gnome Road Publishing for the opportunity to review an eARC of this title.