by Judith Kerr
Harper Collins, July, 2002.
Picture Book, 32 pages.
ISBN: 0060085835
Ages 4-8
The Other Goose is a story about loneliness and
the desire to find a companion very much like oneself.
Children will love Katerina, the only goose in the pond
in the middle of a large city. Sometimes Katerina thought
she saw another goose when she looked at her reflection in
the shiny car that was parked on the street beside her pond.
The car belonged to the banker who worked in the bank
across the street., Mr. Buswell, the banker had a little daughter
who understood Katerina's problem very well. One very
snowy day Katerina looked at the car for the reflection
only to find that there was no reflection, because the car was
covered with snow. Katerina was sad until she saw a
man coming down the street with a large bag. That bag
must contain a goose, thought Katerina, so she chased
the man angrily. The man ran, but Katerina flew at him
and tried to nip him. She chased him until they arrived in
the middle of town where the mayor was conducting a
ceremony in front of many people. The man dropped
the bag, which was full of money. The man was a bank
robber, and Katerina had caught him. The grateful citizens
wanted to reward Katerina and the banker's daughter knew
just what the reward should be. The shiny car stopped by
Katerina's pond and out came Charlie, a goose like Katerina.
Charlie and Katerina made a nest together, Katerina laid
eggs in it, and when the eggs hatched, there were lots of
geese on Katerina's pond.
The Other Goose is illustrated in soft pastels, with drawings
that are humorous and upbeat. A child can easily follow
them and understand the story. Katerina's long wait for the
other goose comes to a happy ending that any child will enjoy.
--Sarah Reaves White
The Other Goose is available for purchase on
Amazon.com
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This review was published in the July, 2002 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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