Squawk to the Moon, Little Goose

by Edna Mitchell Preston, Barbara Cooney

Little Goose disobeys her mother's order to stay in bed and brings trouble to herself and a farmer

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 23, 1974

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When her mother goes out to visit Mrs. Hen one night, Little Goose disobeys her instructions, getting out of bed and running down to the pond for a swim. When that celestial body is hidden by a fox-shaped cloud, the goslings wakes the farmer, thinking the moon has been eaten. Told to go to bed, Little Goose instead stays up, and seeing the moon reflected in the pond, thinks that it has fallen into the water. Disturbing the farmer once again, she is told in no uncertain terms to cease and desist. So it is that, when a real fox takes her, there is no aid for the Little Goose, and she must find a way to trick her vulpine enemy and escape his clutches...

An enjoyable story from Edna Mitchell Preston is paired with delightfully charming artwork from illustrator Barbara Cooney in Squawk to the Moon, Little Goose. The text has an engaging rhythm to it, with just enough repetition to feel slightly song-like, and the conclusion will give young readers and listeners the satisfaction of seeing the trickster tricked. Little Goose's stratagem reminded me a bit of the Aesopic fable of The Fox, The Moon, and the River, in which the vulpine character imagines the moon's reflection in a river is a cheese, causing her to attempt to drink the river dry in order to get to it. It's much more common in folklore however, to have the fox trick another (usually a wolf) into believing that the moon's reflection is a cheese, and there is an episode to that effect in the French Reynardian tradition. Recommended to any picture-book readers who enjoy folkloric-feeling tales, and to fans of Barbara Cooney's artwork.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is this reminding me of? Not Kitten's First Full Moon. Is this a traditional tale? Hmm.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Knox! It’s been a while since I read this little gem that resides in my own library! “Good’s good and bad’s bad,” And I had forgotten how delightful this quaint story is.
Knox: “Grandma can you read it again?”
Me: “I sure can!”
This sweet book is a must own! Beautifully illustrated.
I ask my grandson, Knox, How many stars shall we give it?” He said, “10”.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

KIRKUS REVIEW
This is one of those rare, eloquently simple, solidly traditional picture books that speak directly to very young children. Little Goose, who communicates volumes in the angle of her head or her wings, jumps out of bed in her mother's absence and hurries down to the hushed blue moonlit pond. Fearing at one point that a white fox has swallowed the moon and then that the moon has fallen into the pond, she twice wakens the farmer in alarm; thus later, when Little Goose is carried off by a real fox, he doesn't heed her cries. Little Goose then simply rescues herself -- by setting the fox after ""a cheese as big as the moon"" which lies in the bottom of the pond. An old fashioned modesty and beautifully quiet expressiveness distinguish both story and pictures.
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The moon in the pond is a common motif. Offhand I'm thinking of Frank Asch's Little Bear but I cannot figure out which book. There's also a bit of The Boy Who Cried Wolf here, and a trickster's bargain. In fact, I think it might be a bit too much. But "Good's good and bad's bad" so mind those who know better than you do.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little goose who disobeys his mother and goes out into the night. He looks at the moon and thinks different things are happening to the moon. He says that a fox ate the moon and the that it fell into the pond. The goose keeps waking up the farmer, worried about the moon and he tries to explain that it is still up in the sky. In the end the little goose trick a fox into thinking a giant cheese is in the pond.

I really liked this book, it was super super cute. The little goose was such a cute character and he kept getting into a lot of funny situations. I liked that it brought up concepts about the moon and disappearance. The pictures were also super pretty and really cute to look at.

This would be a cute book to read to your classroom. There are quite a few words on the pages so students who do not like to read might not like this book. However, other students who really like reading would like to read this book. The words are not that hard on the pages so even though there are a lot of words it is easy to read.

[allyson dunn-worthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

final illustration of goose getting spanked made it worth it

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, Squawk to the Moon, Little Goose, by Edna Mitchell Preston, to my daughter. It tells the story of a gosling whose mother has gone out -- admonishing all the goslings to stay in bed like good little geese -- and who disobeys her mother and goes out into the moonlit night.

This story had some humor, as the little goose thinks, variously, that the moon has either been swallowed up by a fox or been drowned in the pond, and it has some heart-pounding moments, when the little goose herself is captured by a fox and has to use what quick goosely wits she has in order to escape. What I liked most about the book, however, was the way the author captured the sense of magic and wonder that you get from going out into a moonlit night. Familiar landscapes are transformed and you feel simultaneously more bold and more afraid.

I was surprised, at the end, that the little goose's mother spanks her (for disobedience) when she comes home after her adventure. I've been seeing other instances of corporeal punishment in children's literature from older times -- namely, Benjamin and Peter were both switched by Benjamin's father, old Mr. Benjamin Bunny -- but I didn't expect to see it in a book published so relatively recently (1970s). Hmm.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Daddy book that Charlotte is just learning to like. In the beginning she felt a little anxiety abou the fox, but she enjoys the "squawk!" sounds in the story.

[Roxann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice little book to read aloud to a young child. They will enjoy saying 'squawk' throughout the book.

[Miss Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud by mum.