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The Little Green Goose
Mr. Goose finds an abandoned egg, hatches it, and raises a peculiar green-skinned long-tailed chick, who worries about his identity but comes to recognize that he has a loving parent.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 8, 2025
Sehr rührende Geschichte, leicht verständlich und wunderbar niedlich🥰
February 21, 2024
Mr. Goose really wants to be a father, but without a Mrs. Goose, he has no way of building his family. But then he finds an abandoned egg, and after much anticipation, a lovely little green goose hatches. But Mr. Goose and the chick look nothing alike, so how can they be a family?
This book is achingly familiar for anyone who has longed for a child but not a spouse. Real love isn't only romantic, you know. The little goose also reflects the journey many adoptive children go on when they realize they don't look like their parents. This book is tender and just detailed enough to create a vivid story. I love the multi-media style of the illustrations, and my heart was so glad when I reached the final page.
This book is achingly familiar for anyone who has longed for a child but not a spouse. Real love isn't only romantic, you know. The little goose also reflects the journey many adoptive children go on when they realize they don't look like their parents. This book is tender and just detailed enough to create a vivid story. I love the multi-media style of the illustrations, and my heart was so glad when I reached the final page.
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March 17, 2011This is a sweet variation on the story of The Ugly Duckling. The way in which the Goose adopts and loves the little green lizard is so heart-warming. This would be an excellent book to talk about how families can look different and be made up of different people. The important thing is a family is unconditional love!
October 16, 2017
The story is about a male goose who wants to be a dad, but no one will give him an egg. He asks everyone for an egg but they all deny him, and make him upset. He goes into the woods and finds a random egg and takes it. It hatches and comes out green and scaled. As the green animal gets older he goes to search for his real father, who he doesn't find and realizes that his goose father loves him unconditionally, even if they are different.
April 7, 2019
The message in this book is what makes it unique. This book helps expose children to a-typical families. It's an important topic because in today's world many families are untraditional. It depicts that no matter the differences you can still be loved and love. In this area it's more common to see single mothers, this book exposes children to single fathers and adoption. The illustrations are simple, but it matches the story perfectly.
July 4, 2024
While I was picking up some of my library holds I saw this book and the library assistant told me she loved it so I grabbed it. It was a super cute read dealing with single dad adoptions but in goose form. Also the adopted baby not feeling like they fit in because everyone told him he didn’t belong. It was sad but it had a sweet ending.
I’d recommend this one to everyone.
I’d recommend this one to everyone.
June 6, 2024
"This book is about a Goose that wanted to be a Daddy. He got an egg, but it was a dinosaur! He went off trying to find his real Dad, but he came back to his Goose Daddy. My favorite part was when the dog showed him the egg."
November 13, 2021
Beautiful story about a father who wants a baby and finds one who looks nothing like him. Child’s search for family ends beautifully.
April 17, 2018
The story is about a male goose who wants to be a dad, but no one will give him an egg. He asks everyone for an egg but they all deny him, and make him upset. He goes into the woods and finds a random egg and takes it. It hatches and comes out green and scaled. As the green animal gets older he goes to search for his real father, who he doesn't find and realizes that his goose father loves him unconditionally, even if they are different.
May 4, 2010
In 1999, North South books published this story with illustrations by Alan Marks. Now it has been re-released with new art. This is the story of a goose who desperately wants to be a father. When he approaches the hens and asks for eggs to hatch, they refuse to give him any. So he sadly heads to the woods where Daisy the dog points him to an egg she uncovered in her digging. Mr. Goose takes the egg home and sits on it. Eventually, it cracks open and out pops a green chick with scales! Mr. Goose was proud of his son and when he finally showed him to the others in the barnyard, they were shocked. The little green goose was told by some of the hens that he is not a proper goose because he is green and doesn’t have feathers or a beak! Distraught, little green goose heads out to find his real father. But no animal is quite like him. It isn’t until he is exhausted and hungry that he realizes that he knows just who will love him no matter whether he is a proper goose or not.
This book is about families and how they are about love alone, not about whether members look similar at all. I particularly appreciated that it is MR. Goose who wants a baby. That’s a male role that we don’t see much in children’s picture books. Sansone’s text is light and a pleasure to read aloud. Her dialogue is interestingly written. Her setting is well developed. She has created a wonderful world in which a baby dinosaur can not only exist but thrive.
Faust’s illustrations are done in digital collage. She has a knack for finding interesting visual textures that really create a feast for the eye. The feathers on Mr. Goose are particularly successful as are the grasses, stones, wood and leaves. She has captured the freshness and patterns of nature and used them with great effect here.
Highly recommended, this story will appeal to many families and children. Keep it on hand for any goose or farm story times, where it will add another dimension and a bit of diversity. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
This book is about families and how they are about love alone, not about whether members look similar at all. I particularly appreciated that it is MR. Goose who wants a baby. That’s a male role that we don’t see much in children’s picture books. Sansone’s text is light and a pleasure to read aloud. Her dialogue is interestingly written. Her setting is well developed. She has created a wonderful world in which a baby dinosaur can not only exist but thrive.
Faust’s illustrations are done in digital collage. She has a knack for finding interesting visual textures that really create a feast for the eye. The feathers on Mr. Goose are particularly successful as are the grasses, stones, wood and leaves. She has captured the freshness and patterns of nature and used them with great effect here.
Highly recommended, this story will appeal to many families and children. Keep it on hand for any goose or farm story times, where it will add another dimension and a bit of diversity. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
September 8, 2009
I am pleased to post a review of one of the first books I've read in Spanish. It was a bit of a stretch for me, but I was able to read it without a dictionary (thanks to the illustrations)! Ironically, I believe this is a translation of a German book.
This is another in the genre of picture books for children in which animals are "adopted" by other species. In this case, a male goose is jealous of the hens, who are able to lay eggs and have babies. He adopts an egg that the barnyard dog found in the forest.
This book gets bonus points by featuring a single adoptive dad, as well as for its lovely illustrations. However, it gets demerits for completely omitting birth parents from the story. It manages to do so by casting the adoptee as either a dinosaur or a dragon (I'm not sure which) - so presumably, his parents are either extinct or imaginary.
The adoptee eventually gets teased by the chicks, who say he's not a "green goose" and so the male goose can't be his "mother." Eventually, the dinosaur/dragon goes searching for his mother. (I suspect an English translation would describe him as searching for his "real mother.") He ultimately decides that his mother is the one who feeds him, puts him to bed, and loves him - in other words, the male goose who adopted him. He does have a revelation that his parent is a daddy, not a mama.
In my view, _Mama_ by Jeanette Winter is an example of an adoption book that doesn't ignore the grief and loss involved in adoption. Another interesting example is _Stellaluna_, by Jannell Cannon. This latter example might actually be better considered a foster care story, since the baby bat who is cared for by a family of robins is eventually reunited with his bat mother.
This is another in the genre of picture books for children in which animals are "adopted" by other species. In this case, a male goose is jealous of the hens, who are able to lay eggs and have babies. He adopts an egg that the barnyard dog found in the forest.
This book gets bonus points by featuring a single adoptive dad, as well as for its lovely illustrations. However, it gets demerits for completely omitting birth parents from the story. It manages to do so by casting the adoptee as either a dinosaur or a dragon (I'm not sure which) - so presumably, his parents are either extinct or imaginary.
The adoptee eventually gets teased by the chicks, who say he's not a "green goose" and so the male goose can't be his "mother." Eventually, the dinosaur/dragon goes searching for his mother. (I suspect an English translation would describe him as searching for his "real mother.") He ultimately decides that his mother is the one who feeds him, puts him to bed, and loves him - in other words, the male goose who adopted him. He does have a revelation that his parent is a daddy, not a mama.
In my view, _Mama_ by Jeanette Winter is an example of an adoption book that doesn't ignore the grief and loss involved in adoption. Another interesting example is _Stellaluna_, by Jannell Cannon. This latter example might actually be better considered a foster care story, since the baby bat who is cared for by a family of robins is eventually reunited with his bat mother.
December 8, 2012
If the Ugly Duckling and Are You My Mother? had a baby it would be The Little Green Goose. A delightful story about a Goose who dreams of being a father. With the help of Daisy the dog he tends to a giant egg and hatches a son.
A very sweet story.
Learning opportunities: alternative families (specifically related to single fathers and adopted children), acceptance, family bonding
A very sweet story.
Learning opportunities: alternative families (specifically related to single fathers and adopted children), acceptance, family bonding
June 18, 2010
Good adoption theme book about a son who doesn't look like his father. A male goose adopts an egg and raises his little green goose. The baby "goose" is teased about not looking like his father so he goes looking for his "real" parent. Good for starting an adoption discussion.
November 10, 2010
Very sweet -- lovely message about adoptive/non-biological parents. Very nice art, both detailed and clean/easy to follow. Only complaint -- it seems like two separate stories merged together. Otherwise, totally recommended.
March 13, 2013
Star-wise, this is probably more of a 3.5. I like the book well enough, but it isn't one that would jump out at me as a favorite. However, for families looking for fun yet sensitive stories about adoption where kids don't look like parents, this might be just the thing.
July 11, 2013
A male goose (actually a gander) gets the bayybee rabies and finds an unusual egg to hatch. His resulting dinosaur-child is a bit confused about where he belongs on the farm until learning that the gander's love is the most important thing.
January 2, 2015
There are so many things I love about this book. It alters the idea of gender roles because the book is about a male goose who wants to be a father. Also it deals with issues around adoption and single-parent families. All in all it's a really sweet story.
June 12, 2015
3.25 stars This is a strange book but in the ends a good book about adoption! Nice pictures interesting story. Originally written in German so translation are always worrying but it worked out okay!
May 16, 2011
One of my all-time faves. Beautiful, sweet, lovely.
September 4, 2011
And right after "Night Terrors" was on Doctor Who.
October 24, 2015
A wonderful book about adoption and belonging.
April 10, 2022
Trans Goose hatches out an identity confused Godzilla, cute.
April 21, 2017
I love this book. This is a great little book about a male goose (technically a gander) who wants to be a father and wishes for an egg of his own. He laments that he has no wife goose provide one for him and so he asks the hens if they have an egg to spare.
When they chastise him and mock him for daring to consider this, Mr Goose gets given one by the friendly farmyard dog who digs one up. The problem is, the egg isn’t a goose, but is a little baby dinosaur.
This whole story is wonderful and it has so many great messages. Mr Goose’s baby loves his dad and vice versa. But of course, others on the farm feel the need to comment and they put ideas in the little dinosaur’s head that Mr Goose isn’t his real dad because they look so different and so the little dinosaur goes on a journey to find out who is his daddy.
It’s such a sweet story and you can’t help read societal issues into it which I think Sansone demonstrates cleverly and creatively. Coupled with Faust’s colourful illustrations, Sansone’s story is a heart-warming tale about what it means to be a family and sometimes that means not looking exactly the same.
This review was published on my blog http://wp.me/p3x8rS-1sO
When they chastise him and mock him for daring to consider this, Mr Goose gets given one by the friendly farmyard dog who digs one up. The problem is, the egg isn’t a goose, but is a little baby dinosaur.
This whole story is wonderful and it has so many great messages. Mr Goose’s baby loves his dad and vice versa. But of course, others on the farm feel the need to comment and they put ideas in the little dinosaur’s head that Mr Goose isn’t his real dad because they look so different and so the little dinosaur goes on a journey to find out who is his daddy.
It’s such a sweet story and you can’t help read societal issues into it which I think Sansone demonstrates cleverly and creatively. Coupled with Faust’s colourful illustrations, Sansone’s story is a heart-warming tale about what it means to be a family and sometimes that means not looking exactly the same.
This review was published on my blog http://wp.me/p3x8rS-1sO
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews