Goodbye, geese

by Nancy White Carlstrom, Ed Young (Illustrator)

A father describes the coming of winter to his little girl.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, School

24 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 1991

About the author

Nancy White Carlstrom has written more than 50 books for children, including the Jesse Bear series with illustrator Bruce Degan.

Born the daughter of steel mill worker William J. and Eva (Lawrence) White, Nancy White Carlstrom was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1948. She practiced writing poetry, enjoyed reading books like Little Women, and wanted to become a children’s book author at an early age. Carlstrom worked in the children’s department of her local library in Washington during her high school years. She graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, majoring in Elementary Education and earning her B.A. in 1970, also studying at Harvard Extension School and Radcliffe from 1974 to 1976. In September of 1974, she married David R. Carlstrom, later a pilot and a marketing director at Fairbanks International Airport. They had two children—Jesse and Joshua.

She draws inspiration from her 18 years living in Alaska, volunteer experiences in Africa and Haiti, and raising her two sons.

Reviews

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a poetry lesson on personification. Can be used as a model for middle school writers.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a non fiction seasonal book. The book reads pretty quickly, so it would be a good book to use to begin a lesson plan with. Do not let the title fool you, the book does not focus on geese, the book is mainly about winter. The book is full of metaphors, in fact each page is a metaphor, for exapmle, "Does winter have eyes?. Yes she has an icy stare that freezes the rivers and ponds. When winter comes, she will shade this place with darkness." I would use this book to model metaphors in older classrooms, and have groups discussion of what the metaphors may mean. For younger grades, I could use this book as a text to read as we are learning about the seasons.The art in the book has a cold tone to it as the artist uses dark colors. I did not care for this book at first, but after reflection, I would use this in a classroom it a library had it. Would I buy it? I think I might.

[Jen Goeden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is about a young boy asking his Papa questions about winter. The Papa tells him things about winter.

This book is tall and in a rectangle shape. It is a paperback book with not endpapers. The cover of the book is very dark and cold. On the dedication pages there is one from the author and the illustrator. From top to bottom of each page is cover with a picture. The value of the pictures is very dark. They make you feel cold and somewhat sad. It helps you feel what winter feels like, which helps you get in the mood of the story. The text in the story would be in the positive space.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a simple book. I liked it. It is a good example of personification because they describe winter as a girl and talk about her ears, hands, etc. I would read this during the end of the fall when the geese migrate south for the winter. The text is designed for young children, but it would be a nice mentor text for older children. I like the illustrations.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bo...
Interest Level
Grades PreK - 2
Genre
Bedtime Stories
Theme/Subject
Feelings and Emotions
Winter Themes

[Kimberlee Gutterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one long poem, even though it may not seem like it. Poems like this are good for children because it isn't the typical poem they would normally think of. I really liked the language because it used creative language to describe the way geese behave when they migrate. I also liked the repetitive questions because children will catch on to this and they can predict when the question will be asled again or what the answer is. My favorite thing about this book is the amazing illustrations because the style is so unique.

[Graywaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! This tale pulls you right in to its winter's landscape. Its metaphoric questions of winter and following answers are clever, poignant, and even profound. (Does winter have hands? Yes, but she never learned to turn the doorknob. Winter tries to walk in through the cracks.) The pastel illustrations are muted, hazy, and understated like childhood memories; full of color, shape, and more than meets the eye.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful and poetic picture book. A little girl is asking her father about winter, "Does winter have a voice?" The father replies, "Yes and her song is as clean as the new snow." She goes on to ask about winter's eyes, arms and hearing. Her father replies with words of imagery that are additionally reflected in the illustrations. This picture book is appropriate for students in grades PreS to grade 2.

[Alexandria Hiam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful and poetic picture book. A little girl is asking her father about winter, "Does winter have a voice?" The father replies, "Yes and her song is as clean as the new snow." She goes on to ask about winter's eyes, arms and hearing. Her father replies with words of imagery that are additionally reflected in the illustrations. This picture book is appropriate for students in grades PreS to grade 2.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW WOW WOW

i felt winter looking at the illustrations. the writing is as good. best book i've read this month

[Sarah Volkmann]

short, few words. works for all winter themes.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

In poetic text, a boy inquires about the signs of winter's approach. Pastel artwork is as beautiful as the natural sights that inspired the images. PreK-2.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with E & H, I don't think they got it. The art was lovely and the extended personification was wonderful, it just didn't move my first grade readers.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful paintings surround a contemplative look at the changing season.