By Phoebe Vreeland, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 4, 2010
by Adele Sansone (Author), Anke Faust (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 3-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: NorthSouth; Revised edition (May 1, 2010)
Source: Publisher
(An updated version of the book first published in 1999 with new illustrations.)
The Little Green Goose is a sweet and uncomplicated animal story about parenthood—particularly adoption and fatherhood. After playing with the barnyard chicks, Mr. Goose longs to have a little goose of his own to call him Daddy. None of the hens are willing to donate an egg, but fortunately Daisy the farm dog digs up a rather large, smelly egg. Mr. Goose kicks into parent mode—even after the egg hatches and a scaly green baby dinosaur emerges. From the moment he hears “Daddy,” Mr. Goose is bound by love to his “little green goose.”
A few weeks later, Little Green Goose catches his reflection in a pond and sets out searching for his real daddy. He questions several green animals he encounters. Neither frog, fish nor lizard are relations. Hungry, cold and lonely Little Green Goose slumps against a tree and cries. It takes only a moment for the realization to sink in. He jumps up and runs back home to Daddy Goose who welcomes his baby back with a wide open-winged embrace.
Anke Faust has used digital collage and line drawings to create a bright and lively animal world. There are plenty of amusing details: bats sport backpacks, and lizards are equipped with climbing gear.
The story shares some themes with Leo Lioni’s An Extraordinary Egg, P.D. Eastman’s Are you my Mother? and Janell Cannon’s Stella Luna. This book, however, is about more than mistaken identity, self-discovery or separated family. The message of The Little Green Goose is simple: Daddy is that guy who loves you and cares for you—even if his feathers don’t match your scales. The power of love trumps biology.
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