The Little Green Goose [Hardcover]

Adele Sansone (Author), Alan Marks (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999 | Age Level: 4 and up

Mr. Goose finds an abandoned egg, hatches it, and raises a peculiar green-skinned long-tailed chick, who worries about his identity but comes to recognize that he has a loving parent.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mr. Goose longs for a chick of his own... a downy little goose who would call him Daddy. None of the hens will spare him an egg, so he is delighted when Daisy the dog digs one up. Mr. Goose tends it carefully, and out pops what the proud parent calls a green goosebut what the illustrations reveal to be a dinosaur. The hatchling calls Mr. Goose Mama until the barnyard chicks point out the utter lack of physical resemblance; after hopefully approaching a frog, a fish and a lizard as his mother, the dinosaur happily goes home to reclaim Mr. Goose. Passages in this story, by an Austrian author making her American debut, recall P.D. Eastmans Are You My Mother?, but the plot is more complex and the point differentthat parents and children dont have to match. Markss (Over the Hills and Far Away) supple artwork, with colors blending freely in watery dabs, playfully conveys Mr. Gooses fatherly pride. Buoyant and limber, his characters lightly trip through the pages, capitalizing on the happy humor in the text. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3 Mr. Goose longs for a baby, and the barnyard hens are in an uproar over his constant requests for an egg to hatch. When Daisy the dog unearths a gigantic one, Mr. Goose lovingly builds a nest and hatches a scaly-skinned, spiky-tailed "green goose" who calls him Mama. While the illustrations reveal that the baby is a dinosaur, young listeners will delight in the fact that the text never discloses his identity. Mr. Goose is a wonderful parent and showers his child with unconditional love and acceptance. However, the other chicks quickly point out the baby's differences and taunt him with "Mr. Goose can't be your real mother." Despondent, the little green goose tries to find a mother who looks like him, but soon comes to realize where he truly belongs. Marks's sketches are expressive and poignant in their simplicity. The little green goose, illustrated with a blue-and-green watercolor wash, dominates the pages. A wonderful story with a clear message: families are created from love. Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: North-South Books Inc. (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735810710
• ISBN-13: 978-0735810716
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,075,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a story of adoption that did not forget the story!, May 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Little Green Goose (Hardcover)

Wonderful book covering so many subjects in a short entertaining time. Father goose longs for a child, and adopts a very strange egg. After the little green goose is born, the baby chicks tease saying thats not really your mommy, you dont look anything alike. The little green goose goes around trying to find out who he looks like and then becomes lonely and returns home, realizing home is where you are loved. Great book for adoptive fathers. Also for those involved in transracial adoption. The story illustrates a fathers love and caring, the idea that families do not need to look alike, and all this is done with a tale that is good for its own sake. The illustrations are superb, my favorite is the final one, this great big green dinosaur-like creature (the little green goose) with the father goose laying on top of his head, one wing stretched out protectively over his child and both fast asleep.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely, quietly charming book about fatherhood, May 27, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Green Goose (Hardcover)

You could hardly do better than to get "The Little Green Goose" for any father, whether adoptive or biological. Adele Sansone's text is a miracle of economy, covering parenthood, adoption, geneaology, and more with a minimum of fuss and text.

The barnyard goose decides that he wants to be a father, but as he has no wife or other partner, he decides to adopt a spooky looking green egg found by the dog at the edge of a field. The goose settles himself on top of the eggs and waits and waits. When the egg finally cracks open, what emerges is some sort of lizard or dinosaur or who knows what--but it definitely is not a goose. Still, Sansone's goose dad utterly ignores the differences between himself and his new son and makes a natural (and skillful) parent. When the "green goose" decides to try to figure out what his real background is, he has little luck and ends up coming home to the goose--who, after all, is the only parent he's ever known.

The illustrations, by Alan Mark, are utterly charming. The "green goose" is splotched and splashed with color, while the goose is drawn sparingly and convincingly. This is, overall, a fun tale with subtle and valuable life lessons.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Book, March 22, 2006

By 

Mr. Philip E. Brown "Philip E Brown" (APO, AE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Green Goose (Paperback)

This book is great for all parents of adopted children. This book grabbed the attention of my child, and he was entirely enthused through the whole reading and just absorbed it all. Two thumbs up for this great write!