Gooseberry Goose

by Claire Freedman, Vanessa Cabban

As Gooseberry Goose practices his flying, he sees his friends scrambling to get ready for winter, and he fears that he needs to get ready, too, but when he returns home, his parents reassure him that by practicing his flying, he has been getting ready for winter. Reprint.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2005

About the author

I’ve been a writer for over 15 years now, but it wasn’t planned!

I had a variety of jobs, including secretary, trainee buyer at Harrods, dental nurse, production assistant in a reprographic and printing company and various others.

I began to write after joining a creative writing class. I had no success with article writing, or short stories, or fiction, but the first children’s story I wrote, for a magazine called Twinkle, was accepted for publication. Hooray!!!

Things snowballed and a lot (yes lots and lots) of hard work later I now write full time and have over 50 books published. I still go to the same writing class and we have become a big happy family of writers!

For me, writing is the best job ever. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I love to create worlds for young children to enjoy and escape into – whether the stories are educational, bedtime, problem solving or just plain good fun. It’s also very exciting to see the first picture roughs, as my wonderful, talented illustrators bring the text to life.

I live on the Essex coast in a lovely two-bed-roomed flat, which I share with my husband, Michael. At long last I have an office to write in, with room for all my books and bits of scribbled on papers.

The seafront is (still) just around the corner, and I find a bracing walk (it gets freezing when the East wind blows from the North Sea!) or gentle stroll when the weather is warmer, is great for clearing my head and mulling over story ideas.

- excerpted from her website

Reviews

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goose gets ready for winter the only way Goosey Goose knows how. He travels around greeting the woodland animals that are getting ready for winter. The illustrations are very nice.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

It probably wasn't what the author intended, but I think this story is a great metaphor for homeschooling. Gooseberry is a little goose who is having fun practicing flying all day, but he meets different friends getting ready for winter (like a squirrel gathering nuts) who warn him that he won't be prepared when winter comes. At the end of the day, Gooseberry goes home to his parents and says that they have to get ready for winter! Gooseberry's parents laugh and tell him that since geese fly south for the winter, he's been getting ready all day--even though it felt like he was just playing.

Other people often think that homeschooling won't prepare kids for the "real world," and that they're not learning the things they will "need." But a different education simply prepares a kid for a different kind of life. We want our kids to have a zest and excitement for learning, like Gooseberry has for flying, not frantically trying to gather knowledge in preparation for a test, like a squirrel gathering nuts. After one winter, those nuts will be gone--just like kids (and adults!) often forget knowledge immediately after the test. But Gooseberry will be using his flying skills all his life--and I hope for my kids to be able to "fly" to new places, like Gooseberry, instead of hiding away in the difficult times of their lives.

Of course, this was just what I got out of the book. It could be interpreted many different ways! And it's not at all moralistic; kids will enjoy it just for the story.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little Goose is encouraged by his Mama to try his wings and practice is flying. Along the way his friends encourage him and tell him he's doing good. One by one. Then after a while one of his friends tell him that he needs to be doing what they all are and getting ready for winter. He doesn't know how to do that so he goes back to tell his Mama he's missing out. But his mama tells him that he's been getting ready all day because geese fly south for the winter. My 3 year old granddaughter enjoyed listening to this story and following along with the illustrations.

[Ambra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it interesting how this goose watched the other animals getting ready for winter and wondered if he shouldn't stop his flying practice and do what they are doing. In the end, he finds out that flying is how he gets ready for winter. It made me think of how we sometimes worry too much about what others are doing. My daughter, age 4, enjoyed the pictures. Cute book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Gooseberry is practicing his flying while other animals are preparing for winter, Gooseberry wonders if he doing the right thing. Good book for toddlers but did not hold my little one's interest (too young)

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and simple. I like the illustrations. Could pull out lessons of hard work and preparation. And I liked that in the end, the goose did live up to its name.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really great for introducing how animals get ready for the winter but it's for maybe 3 and up.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preschool

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Gooseberry Goose practices flying on a beautiful fall morning, his friends are preparing for winter, causing Gooseberry to wonder if there is something else he should be doing.

[Michael Leitzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book at great illustrations and a good story. it reminds kids that they worry too much sometimes about things and in the end everything will work out. this was a very neat read.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book on preparing for winter.