SILLY SUZY GOOSE

Suzy Goose looks like all the other geese, but she wishes she could be different. “If I was a bat, I could hang upside down and FLAP my wings.” “If I was a penguin, I could slip and SLIDE.” For each creature that she wishes she could be—toucan, giraffe (vertical spread), elephant, ostrich, seal—she mimics its characteristic action or sound. When she ROARHONKS at a cranky lion, he doesn’t like it and chases her. Suzy isn’t totally silly. She uses all of the movement styles of the animals she’s met—running, splashing, sliding—and gets back just in time to the flock—where she’s camouflaged by all the other geese. Attractive mixed-media illustrations, and a well-designed cover, utilize bright colors, textures and size contrasts to energize the spare shapes. A wry twist on the familiar theme of wanting to be different, Suzy isn’t such a silly goose after all, though it would have been nice if the text had used the subjunctive properly. (Picture book. 3-5)