A Splendid Friend, Indeed

Goose and Bear Stories

by Suzanne Bloom

Bear wants to read and write and think. Goose wants to talk and talk and talk. Can Bear and Goose be friends? Suzanne Bloom's picture book says volumes about friendship with a few select words and charming illustrations in this Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of the picture book challenge I am participating in on my blog. One of the categories was to read a book that is a book about friensdhip so I decided to choose this book. If you're interested in the picture book categories I'll be reading from as part of the challenge be sure to check out the link here: 2017 Challenges

This book was adorable! I think everyone can relate to that person that comes around and always asks you so many questions and can seem incredibly annoying, but they're only doing it because they love you and they really love being your friend. I definitely have been the duck in various situations, but I definitely have friends that represent the bear who after getting annoyed loves the duck just as much as the duck loves him.

The artwork was interesting because it was vibrant, but seemingly fuzzy at the same time. I know that probably doesn't make sense, but once you read it I think you'll understand where I'm coming from. I've never read anything by this author before, but if her other work is like this then I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it. If you're looking for a picture book that teaches children about friendship and caring then I would definitely recommend this book.

[Sarah Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A Splendid Friend, Indeed' is a charming picture book that introduces children to the idea that individuals have different preferences and ideas but that difference does not have to be negative. The polar bear in the book likes to be in his own thoughts and think quietly, whereas the goose likes to chatter and share feelings. However, the book beautifully conveys that it is entirely possible for two people who are, or appear to be very different, to respect each other and share a friendship.

[Fjóla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted to read this one for a while, so much did I like the cover. Sweet story about friendship and understanding, illustrated in lovely, dreamy, textured pastels, blue, yet warm, the type you would want to frame and hang by your child's bed. There are follow ups to this books, in a series of titles about Goose and Bear, and if my son was younger (he's four, going on five) I would probably get all the titles without hesitation. A Splendid Friend, Indeed however, while probably aimed at toddlers/preschoolers can double as an early reader with its simple vocabulary, and yet it contains two of my favorite words of the English language: splendid and indeed! Goose and Bear are certainly an unlikely pair of friends, as different in temperament as they are, one eager, inquisitive, the other quiet and contemplative. This creates a tension right from the beginning, that definitely caught my young reader's attention. We loved the happy conclusion!

[Phyll · Rating 2 out of 5]

idk if this is nitpicky but i think it would've served the story for bear to maybe voice some of their feelings about wanting alone time while still wanting to be friends and duck indicating that they understand that they have different vibes but can still respect each other's boundaries or something idk!

[Olivia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story and illustrations. Sometimes our friends get on our nerves, but we really care about them deep down. A good book to talk about feelings or friendship. Not too much text. 2+

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple tale, not so much of a story as a conversation. It's a fun book to read aloud, especially with the goose blathering on and on. The illustrations are fun, and the expressions are wonderful, especially on the bear. Our girls really enjoyed this book.

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter liked it because she can read it all by herself; I liked it because the polar bear looks so fuzzy and cuddly.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hug is always nice but it doesn't erase annoying behavior.

[Erin Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has really big text for younger readers. It is also repetitive so it makes it easier to predict.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure! Simple story about friendship and individuality made even more enjoyable by Bloom's unique illustrations.

[Jessica Bouchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Splendid Friend Indeed is on my favorites shelf because it is a simple heartwarming story with bold and colorful illustrations that is easily understood by emergent and 1st grade readers. This book is a simple fictional tale of a well-meaning but annoying friend who unknowingly makes up for everything with a thoughtful note. The text in the story is large, simple, and minimal allowing young children to grasp the meaning of each page without difficulty. This is coupled with large, simple, yet amusing illustrations that perfectly portray the text meaning. Children will enjoy the obvious buoyant optimism of the duck and the quiet annoyance of the bear. Finally, animal characters add to the books appeal for emergent readers.

In a reading classroom, I would use this book to support reading comprehension. This could be done in many ways. Character traits could be discussed between the two characters to gain a better understanding of the story. Students could explore character feelings and expression through illustration and text cues. Students could relate the story and character to their lives by thinking about how they would feel if in the character’s shoes. Additionally, illustrations could be explored, described, and used as clues to relate meaning to the text and story. Fluency could also be practiced as well as expressive reading through echo and choral reading. Students could explore expression by saying the sentences like the characters would say them.

[Bonnie Lambourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening page when Goose runs down the furry hill that is Polar Bear is so textural and endearing even before words begin. Polar Bear is so clearly annoyed by the interaction without saying a word. Goose is intrusive and naively unaware, simply wanting the attention like any younger sibling, cousin, or friend.

But then it did not feel entirely clear to me from the beginning what the relationship was between these two. Goose began to feel so annoying and self-centered, that I began to be as irritated as Bear.

So when Goose brings back a snack and loudly proclaims his friendship, and Bear responds he likes Goose with a tear in his eye, I felt a mixture of feelings. I wasn't sure if Bear's words were completely true, or he felt a bit guilty. And this feels more akin to siblings for me than friends.

The culminating ending is sweet and innocent in feeling, but I'm not sure I felt entirely great that Goose never got to hear how Bear felt about being disturbed.

Hence the 4 vs a 5... though this also speaks to who are the most appropriate readers for this story. Just as the younger child is more in their own world, I feel they will relate most to Goose and Bear resolving the issue in this quick and simple way.

The older child may enjoy reading this with help or possibly alone, but as a read-to would perhaps depend more on their own personality and relationships.

I withheld judgment on this one. I suggest you let your kids tell you what they think or wonder about these characters if verbally able.

[Anakaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is very cute , it is a goose and a polar bear , but mostly the goose talking. The goose sees the polar bear reading so she nudges in and tells him she can read too. The polar bear is writing and the goose lets him know she can write as well , everything the polar bear does the goose does too. The polar bear seems annoyed by the goose until the goos reads a note to the polar bear saying how he is her splendid friend. The polar bear smilies and finally talks back saying how much he appreciates her too. This book is very exciting because we are all waiting for the polar bear to speak and he does at the very end. The book is short with illustrations that take us with the goose on everything she does and the polar bear's reaction. Its dialogue has won the Geisel award. Although the background is the same almost on every page it uses a lot of blue as well with full bleed pages. It allows us to see how the polar bear is just staying in one place while the goose is all over.

[Beth Crownover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book about friendship that is perfect to read to younger children, 3 years old to kindergarten. It is an easy read aloud and perfect for emphasizing friendship. The text is very short on each page with easy sentences that as kindergarteners learn to read they could potentially read this book for themselves. The illustrations are done in pastels, as said in the book, in the style of expressionism, as is very common in books for pre-schoolers because the emotions are expressed in the bright clear colors. The illustrations are very simple but give depth to the story because they express the emotions of the characters instead of the text. They go across the gutter and take up the entire page, but because they are simple they are easy for very young children to decipher what the characters are feeling. This book won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor.

[Youwei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book! I also find it very suitable for emergent readers to read. First, the story is simple, using several repetitions of the same type of sentence. Second, the text used in the story is rhyming, such as “I am back. I made a snack”. Third, the story content is very suitable for emerging readers, because it talks about friendship. My favorite part is that the goose loves to talk to the ice bear, but the ice bear only said two sentences in the whole story but did express friendship with the goose. And at the beginning of the article, the ice bear let the geese lie on his/her own body, proving that friendship sometimes does not require proof of words, details can also show relatives. Friendship can be a mundane companion, sharing happiness and sharing food, sharing all the good things.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear is trying to read and write, but this goose keeps interrupting him. How will Bear respond to Goose's note of friendship after all that?

Ahh, Bear is a very patient soul, and able to remember what matters in the long run. I think Bear should get a reward. I would've been a bit upset at Goose myself in his position. But it is hard to resist Goose's sweet note. A great book to read and then talk about how to respond to others who are annoying you or constantly interrupting you. Also a good chance to talk to littles about when you should respect someone's quiet moments and how to ask about whether it is ok to interrupt. A cute book with just a few words per page, so it is a good beginner read too.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute picture book about a bear who likes to read, write, and think, and a goose who likes to talk. The illustrations are cute, and I appreciate the message about being friends in spite of personality differences.

This was one of the options that a librarian collected for this week's friendship storytime theme. I ended up reading The Rabbit Listened instead, because it would appeal more to the range of ages in the group, but I would have chosen this shorter, simpler story if the crowd had been predominately babies and toddlers.

[Lesly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polar bear is doing his own thing, but goose wants to spend time with him. Goose keeps persisting about them playing together.

It won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award in 2006.

This book talks about the importance of friendship. It shows how two people can be completely different can be good friends. This book is a great read aloud for the class with vibrant pictures to keep students engaged. This is a great book for an early emergent reader. The font size is big, and the words are easy to read. Teachers can use this book at the beginning of the year when students are new to the classroom and need help on making friends.

[Katie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute book is about a very focused polar bear who only wants to read and a very talkative duck who wants to talk. After getting annoyed several times by the duck, the polar bear discovers that her actually really likes the duck and they become splendid friends indeed! This teaches kids to just be friendly to others no matter how annoying they might be because they might turn out to be a great friend. I would recommend this book to kindergartners to teach them a lesson about friendship and kindness.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library. I picked it because he likes geese and reading, plus I call him bear.

In an effort to keep him inside and out of the cold, I pulled out all his unread library books. This was the second one we read. It took a few tries, today and on earlier days, to get Jack to read it. But once he realized that the goose was being tricky/silly and reading/writing, which he likes to do too, he got into it. Lots of giggles!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the illustrations in this book are delightful. I read this for storytime today and while I'm not sure it was a great read aloud, the kids seemed to really enjoy it and we talked a lot about what it is to be a good friend and how saying something nice can really help change the way somebody is feeling.

[Lillian Hazzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has very entertaining illustrations and is a good example of maintaining friendships with people who may have very different interests than you. The color scheme of the book may cause the illustrations to seem slightly unclear from far away, so I would probably read it in small groups first and then again as a class.

[Becca Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about a bear and a goose. The bear likes to be by himself and do everything line. He prefers the peace and quiet. The goose likes to go on adventures and be around his friends all the time. They end up making it work, and become best friends even though neither of them are alike each other. It is a cute story of friendships that you don't expect to work.

[Erin Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picturebook has a Geisel award and was published in 2005. This book is about a bear who is trying to read and write while his friend is distracting him. At the end the bear enjoys the ducks company nonetheless. This book was really cute with adorable illustrations. In the classroom could be a read aloud and used for a picture walk for non and early readers.

[Sydney Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Splendid Friend, Indeed shows how social skills, talking to others, and friendship can be the most important things in life. The book offers up the joys of friendship and expresses them in a simple and sweet story of spending time. This book does a great job showing how two people could be completely different but can still be good friends.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Splendid Friend, Indeed
by Suzanne Bloom
Found in a first grade classroom, this book shows the nature of friendship. Shows the value of finding that one thing you can connect with. As a social emotional learning book it shows the value of sharing feelings, compliments, and the things that bind you.

[Kimberly]

1-3 sentences per page, very simple vocabulary. Lots of blue background and painted/charcoal-looking illustrations (soft, rounded, not very sharp or defined). A goose bothers his polar bear friend while his polar bear friend is trying to do things, but goose tells his polar bear friend he likes him and is his splendid friend, the polar bear says the same thing, and hugs him in the end.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

• 2006 Geisel Honor Book •

The use of pastels in the illustrations really makes the bear look very fuzzy. Cute story about two opposites who are friends. The typography could use some work… Several of the pages have black text on a dark blue background. So many different ways of fixing this.

Materials used: pastel

Typeface used: Optima

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those story time stalwarts that I've inexplicably never reviewed; I quite like this, as well as the other books about these characters by Suzanne Bloom. They are simple stories about friends and friendship, some of the rare ones that will work for toddlers as well as preschoolers.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goose and bear are hanging out. Bear is trying to read, then write, then think. But goose wants to talk, talk, talk. Then goose writes a note about how splendid a friend bear is. Bear agrees, they are splendid friends indeed.