Goose

I ordered this after seeing a review mention that this is a popular graduation gift instead of gifting Oh, The Places You’ll Go. This interested me so I ordered it. A very nice book about endings that are beginnings and finding yourself. Or maybe it’s just a nice book about a goose in a family of woodchucks.

Enjoyable either way.

Goose, I feel is good representation of a family taking in a child of a different culture/ethnicity and still providing them the love and care they deserve. It also goes over how even as Goose grows up and she knows she is different from her family, she still loves them but wants to find her self as well. This is a great book to maybe start a conversation with children on different family units and possibly learning how to find your true self away from the normal you are use to on a daily basis.

The goose, as an egg rolled out of the nest. It ended up being raised by a family of woodchucks. The woodchucks were a very loving family but as the goose grew she was discontent and did not really know why. She often felt sad and like an outsider. She wandered away from her home in her sadness and loneliness. She lost her footing and fell from a cliff towards the ocean. She began to flap her wings and flew. She used strength and power that she never knew she had to discover who she really was as a goose. Sometimes you have to leave your home to find out who you really are. Lovely book, I like the story and can personally relate to the message. This book is k-3, picture book, but could easily be for any one at any age.

Obviously an adoption story. But sweet nonetheless; not too earnest or didactic. And I liked that the ending is natural & realistic - no pseudo-HEA that Goose gets to connect with her birth parents. The paintings, well, they're artistic... I could see that some other reviewers didn't care for them, but I did.

Most of all I appreciated the small size, the unassuming format. It's not all in-your-face saying, "Buy me! I'm an oversize, overpriced, instant classic!"

Molly Bang's "Goose," was about a goose who was born into the wrong family after the egg was blown away by the storm. The family loved her an accepted her, but she was very different from them. The goose didn't know she could even fly until she had to one day after falling off of a cliff. This would be a great story to teach kids about self identity. Some people don't truly know who they are until they are forced to know. Some people are born into families that they don't quite fit into with interracial families or if they are adopted. These people don't know who they truly are or their background. Finding your true self is the greatest reward in itself.

This small but mighty book pedagogically addresses so many issues a child might face and doesn’t shy away from the genuine emotions.

Reoccurring themes found throughout the book include accepting others that are different from yourself and discovering and appreciating your own differences as well. Being reminded of both is important at all ages.
The text is simple and to the point, which allows the illustrations to do a lot of the story telling. One thing that really stands out in the illustrations is the sense of movement that they provide. When the egg is falling through a tunnel, the movement is shown, when the animals are swimming, it is apparent that feet are paddling and when the goose is falling and then flying, the movement of its wings is captured. The use of shading is also wonderfully done.
Might be a great story to share with a preschool-2nd grade class show more during a discussion on acceptance/differences. show less