GOOSE GOES TO THE ZOO

Human Sophie and goose Goose are best friends; they do everything together, but needless to say, in some respects they are not compatible.

Sophie can’t fly, and she’s not fond of goose food, but in other ways they are best buds and share many a cup of tea. Sophie is worried that Goose gets lonely when she is away at school, so she tries to think of a solution. Then she has a brainstorm: maybe she can find a friend for Goose at the zoo! Unsurprisingly, however, most of the animals are not ideal friends: the giraffe can’t fly, and the crocodile tries to take a friendly bite out of the innocent bird. Flamingos are just plain boring. The pair is despondent, until they hear a familiar chorus of honks: lots of other geese, just like Sophie’s friend! Goose flies off happily, leaving Sophie a little bit lonely. However Goose is a faithful friend and returns with newfound friends to check in with Sophie. Towheaded Caucasian Sophie is clad in a red dress and, like many a simply drawn picture-book protagonist before her, has no discernible mouth; her stark-white face and blonde locks mirror Goose’s white feathers and yellow beak and feet, establishing a firm connection between the friends. This simple tale, with resonances of many other unlikely animal-child friendship stories, is told in an engaging manner.

Wall’s cheery, flat, brightly colored illustrations are neatly suited to this naïve rendering of the age-old dilemma of friendship: how to enjoy others’ company in spite of different tastes and habits.