ANTLERS FOREVER, written by Frances Bloxam and illustrated by Jim Sollers, Down East Books, 2001, 32 pages, $15.95. MOOSE ON THE LOOSE, by John and Ann Hassett, Down East Books, 1987, 46 pages, $11.95.

It’s here – Moosemania – the time of year when black flies drive the moose population out of the deep woods, and we humans set off in hot pursuit armed with binoculars and cameras. If, like me, you can’t get enough of these endearingly awkward critters, you’ll love sharing two whimsical picture books with kids or grandkids.

Orville Anderson Tarkington Moose, the young hero of “Antlers Forever,” written by Frances Bloxam and illustrated by Jim Sollers, is faced with quite a problem. His antlers, his pride and joy, are loose! No matter what he does to tighten them they just become more unsteady. When his friend Owl attempts to help him they fall right off. Orville is overwhelmed with grief and embarrassment, but an older, wiser moose is able to help him understand that the yearly shedding of antlers is really a good thing.

In a recent phone chat from her Bath home, Bloxam said her book has a message for parents to share with sons and daughters. “It’s the whole idea that growing up can be scary. Big people can help little people. Things will come out all right.”

Bloxam enjoyed all facets of creating her first published book. She especially loved seeing her story come to life through Sollers’ illustrations. “When I saw the first draft it was exactly what I had in mind.”

It’s not surprising the illustrations blend so beautifully with the text. In a phone conversation from his Rockland home, Sollers explained that Orville’s experience triggered memories of an anxiety-provoking transition of his own. “When I was small my baby teeth started to fall out. I remember thinking, ‘What’s this? My body’s starting to fall apart.'”

For another moose tale, check out John and Ann Hassett’s “Moose on the Loose,” another Down East Books publication.

Max, the protagonist and a creature after this reviewer’s heart, is always asking questions. Even though his friends and kin keep admonishing him to eat his pond weeds and act like a moose, he can’t abandon his curiosity. One day, intrigued by the strange ways of humans, he follows some out of the woods. He is fascinated by the novel sights of a big city until he becomes stranded on the roof of a tall building, paralyzed with fear.

In a letter from his Waldoboro home, John Hassett shared the inspiration for the book. “To see a moose in a place removed from the woods and wilds of Maine is truly thrilling. It’s so unexpected. Five or so years ago, a moose without a map made it to within two miles of the city limits of Boston.”

The illustrations of “Moose on the Loose,” are a lively introduction to our state’s animals from chickadees and loons to beavers and bears.

“It was fun being able to do a book about Maine and to show the people and animals and wilderness habitats that make Maine unique,” Hassett wrote. “There are few places where you can see porcupines, eagles and a tourist family from Idaho all in the same spot.”

Hassett doesn’t as much find moose as be found by them. “Last fall we went north intent on visiting with a moose and after much searching came up empty. Then on the ride home we found a moose munching grass aside Route 1 in Camden. I have the suspicion that every moose in the state of Maine is lost and doesn’t care.”

Read these charming books and go visit a moose or two.