A moose disguises himself to pursue his dream of riding the Alaskan rails. But rules are rules, and the conductor calls him out, one adorable costume after another. Full of onomatopoeias and playful language, Candace Spizzirri has written a charming book that kids will treasure. Chantelle and Burgen Thorne's vintage colors and humorous illustrations will keep you turning the page and rereading to investigate all the wonderful details. What a perfect author/illustrator pairing! Highly recommended.

The title promises a lot of fun, and indeed, this was a fun book to read! Filled with humor and heart, this book features Finley, a moose who really wants to go on the train that he sees coming by all the time. But rules are rules and moose aren't allowed. Young readers will be inspired by Finley's perseverance and charm. Sometimes, rules are meant to be broken!

This illustrated story is absolutely charming! The writing is clever and cute; the artwork is delightful! Reading this book with a child would be sure to bring forth all the giggles. It's just so light-hearted, one of the funniest children's books I've seen. Finley the friendly moose is a character you'll be cheering from page one. He made me smile on every page, and I'm already thinking about which little kids I can send this book to.

The illustrations are fabulous and enchanting! I love Finley the moose. He tries hard to be understood. He just wants to ride the train, just like everyone else! So he keeps trying (yes, in rather sneaky, sometimes suspicious, costumes) to climb aboard... but he always gets kicked off the train again. If only he could prove himself somehow...?

Overall, a super cute storybook. Would be happy to read again.

Finley is an adorable friendly Moose with a huge toothy grin. His dream is to ride the rails and have some exciting adventures while doing it.

Unfortunately Conductor Jones forbids wild animals to ride on trains because "rules are rules!"

Poor Finley is devastate but doesn't give up. He decides to don a myriad of costumes to try to disguise his true identity but Conductor Jones always catches him and tosses him off the train... after all, "rules are rules"!

Finally Finely makes a breakthrough and Conductor Jones is happy to lift the moratorium on that rule. It points out to the reader that some rules in life are meant to be changed. Good for Finley! His dream has come true!

The illustrations are amazing. They are colourful, expressive and full of humour. This heartfelt story encourages kids not to give up on their dreams and with grit and determination go for them! I love this book (especially the illustrations ) and I highly recommend it.

First of all, I love Finley so much. He's so adorable and I love his toothy grin. The title is great too. Overall, the book is super cute, BUT I am not sure about the message for 4-8 year olds.

All Finley wants to do is ride the train through Alaska, but the conductor kicks him off because he's 'a wild animal'. He comes up with the idea to put a costume on to make him be less noticeable. My favorite was the hot dog with his bird friend as the mustard. All of the costumes are fun, but time and time again he's kicked off because 'rules are rules'. However, when Finley's help is needed to get a tree off the tracks he's deemed a hero and is now allowed to have his dream come true to ride the train.

So here's my gripe about the message ~ the book makes it seem like it's okay to be sneaky to get what you want and then when you do something good it's okay to break the rules. I do think that most kids will probably overlook this and see the story for what it's really supposed to be ~ a fun loving heartfelt story about determination. With that said I really do recommend it.

The illustrations by Chantelle Thorne and Burgen Thorne were very well done.

This story was absolutely adorable, with awesome illustrations. My kid was giggling at the costumes Finley wore to sneak onto the train!
Thank you Gnome Road Publishing for the ARC, I can't wait for it to be released to add to our library!

Thank you, Gnome Road Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

This is such a heartfelt book with amazing illustrations! I love the cover but I love the contents more!

It’s the story of a moose who wants to ride the rails so bad! Finley tries his best to be like someone who would pass as anyone but be the moose! But ultimately Finley gets what Finley wants the most! A story of heart and determination of course!

This is a really cute book with a moose who figures out that being yourself is really the best.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

A cute story of Finley the moose who is determined to ride the train. Day after day he tries on different costumes, trying to get on the train. However, when a tree gets in the way of the train, Finley ends up saving the day.

Very cute story with very cute illustrations!

I will absolutely be purchasing this book for my daughter. The illustrations are wonderful. The story is creative and engaging. I love all the fun costumes Finley puts on which will allow for reader interaction. And the way the author includes noises of the train into the book allows for parents to animate their storytelling.
This is one of my favorites I’ve reviewed yet!