A Family of Geese

In this illustrated tale, a baby goose, the last of his clutch to hatch, learns the skills he’ll need to fit in with the other geese at the lake.

A mother goose has one egg left to hatch, but she worries it’s a dud. When it hatches while she’s taking her other goslings on a trip to the other side of the lake, the gosling’s Uncle Ray has to step in and help him get started. The mother and her other goslings are excited to meet the new baby when they return home, and the mother decides to name her only son Rufus, after his father. At first, he seems to be more rambunctious than his sisters, wanting only to swim and play rather than learn from his mother how to find the best grass and shelter. Finally, he begins to grow up a little and pay attention to his mother. The story, mostly told through dialogue between Rufus and his family, features cute, realistic illustrations of geese that children will enjoy, as well as settings done in a lovely watercolor style. Especially appealing is a spread of the goslings falling asleep; on the first page they’re curling up on the grass, and in the second they’ve tucked their heads under their wings and bunched up together to stay warm. Gummer’s story has a fairly effective lesson for why children should listen to parents and how, if children only do fun things like swimming all the time, they won’t learn the skills needed to become adults. However, the author could have strengthened this theme by focusing more on the results of Rufus’ actions; as is, conflicts are set up, but they don’t always have consequences, which might be a little confusing to small children. Finally, the story could have incorporated additional facts about geese—what they eat, how they sleep, whether they were preparing to fly south for the winter, etc.—to make the book more appealing for the classroom.

An enjoyable children’s book that should make better use of its educational aspects.