How to Hatch: A Gosling's Guide to Breaking Free

by Sara Holly Ackerman, Galia Bernstein (Illustrator)

Discover how a gosling hatches into the world, step by step, in this irresistibly cute and funny nonfiction picture book.

Is it getting stuffy in there?
Has your yolk dwindled to a smidge?
Is the beak in your wingpit cramping your style?
Gosling, it’s time to . . .
HATCH!

With humorous, spare text that reads as an insructional "how to", this story is a delight to read aloud and walks children through every step of the hatching process--with a surprise ending that all readers will enjoy.

Includes bonus facts on gosling hatching and growth, as well as an author's note from the author, an experienced preschool and elementary teacher who has hatched many goslings herself in the classroom. Perfect for Easter baskets!

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 13, 2026

Reviews

[Martha Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh! This is a delight. Climb inside a goose egg to find out every step of the process of hatching out of an egg. The omniscient narrator understands what the prospective gosling is going through from beginning to end: "Getting stuffy in there?" Perfectly set up to be read to several ages, adding green boxes on each spread giving deeper scientific information than the preschool text. Funny, but still sharing the wonder of an everyday miracle of nature!

[Lisa Tolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, funny, and adorable! This inside look at a gosling hatching is a delight, from the beginning feeling cramped with a beak in the wingpit to the flop from the shell and the warmth of the gaggle. I love that the gosling takes a nap mid-hatch. Relatable! Sidebars give excellent detail on the dramatic unfolding journey.

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step by step guide takes the reader through the hatching process with the cutest illustrations imaginable.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

If you are doing a storytime experience about chicks/birds hatching, this is the book. Great illustrations and easy-to-understand but still accurate explanations of hatching processes.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little story (well almost a story) about a chick hatching and all the things they have to do to get out of the shell. I had never seen a picture book about hatching.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super informative! My kids were really into it and wanted to see a video after reading the book.
Lots of facts and cute illustrations.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful introduction to how goslings hatch from the egg. This wasn't a good read aloud choice for my 5-year-old, but my eight-year-old was interested in the science behind hatching.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun and informative

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review forthcoming