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Gooney Bird Greene #3
Gooney the Fabulous
Gooney Bird Greene has a fabulous idea after her teacher reads fables to the class. The children learn that fables are stories with animal characters that teach something important. Gooney’s fabulous idea is that each student create their own fable and tell it to the class!
Everyone but Nicholas is excited about their stories and costumes. Can Gooney Bird find out why Nicholas is unhappy and get him to join in the fun? Now that would be truly fabulous!
Everyone but Nicholas is excited about their stories and costumes. Can Gooney Bird find out why Nicholas is unhappy and get him to join in the fun? Now that would be truly fabulous!
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
44 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Lois Lowry
166 books23.1k followersTaken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 6, 2019
Same review for the three of these I read. Cute fantasy... I can't imagine very many teachers and certainly not entire classrooms that immediately fall in under the spell of such an eccentric child, even if she is so full of self-confidence. No nuance. Good to *use* in classrooms for creative writing.
Remember, when you get to the points at which they're relevant in the series: Narwhal. Mnemonic. And the enlightened realization that haikus, at least those in translation, do not have to be exactly 5/7/5.
Also be aware of iconographic characters like Tyrone who raps so easily, and Keiko whose immigrant parents own a grocery store... again, they're not negative stereotypes, but they're not nuanced, and I think second-graders are capable of a little more understanding than this series credits them.
Remember, when you get to the points at which they're relevant in the series: Narwhal. Mnemonic. And the enlightened realization that haikus, at least those in translation, do not have to be exactly 5/7/5.
Also be aware of iconographic characters like Tyrone who raps so easily, and Keiko whose immigrant parents own a grocery store... again, they're not negative stereotypes, but they're not nuanced, and I think second-graders are capable of a little more understanding than this series credits them.
February 3, 2019
At the request of Mrs. Pigeon, Gooney leads her class in a fable project. Each student makes up a fable based on an animal. To make things interesting, each student chooses an animal starting with the same first letter as their own name AND they need to have some sort of item or piece of clothing to help show off their choice. At times there are hilarious results. Malcolm uses red marker on his nose and a purple patch on his bottom to be a mandrill. Other students struggle with coming up with a fable and a moral or even thinking of an animal. What animal starts with "N" like Nicholas? I did love the animal parade and Tyrone's rap at the end, but the fables dragged a bit or had confusing morals at times.
August 15, 2024
Perfect timing for all the fables we’re reading for school. Madi learned more from this Gooney book than I expected! Would be fun to read in a classroom and try out some of Gooney’s ideas for ourselves!
June 17, 2020
Gooney Bird series is a realistic fiction series because it can happen in real life, but hasn't happened yet.
I like the Gooney Bird character because ofcourse she is very creative and full of great ideas, but she is also very kind and brings up spirit. And also brings fun when there is dullness.
In this book Mrs. Pidgeon's class was learning about fables. Gooney bird has an idea that everyone will make their own fables with the letter of their first name and present it to class. Everyone gets excited and get started except for Nicholas. Gooney Bird wondered why has Nicholas looks so glum. Let Gooney Bird findout!
Al lunch time everyone shared snacks except Nicholas. After lunch GB tells Mrs. Pidgeon about Nicholas. Then Mrs. Pidgeon along with GB talks to Nicholas. Nicholas finally says that he is worried because he doesn't know the animals with letter 'N'. "Is that why you were sad?" - Says GB. then she whispered an idea into Nicholas' idea. Nicholas and Gooney's story was a huge success!!
If I was in Gooney's place, i would have done the same thing.
I like the Gooney Bird character because ofcourse she is very creative and full of great ideas, but she is also very kind and brings up spirit. And also brings fun when there is dullness.
In this book Mrs. Pidgeon's class was learning about fables. Gooney bird has an idea that everyone will make their own fables with the letter of their first name and present it to class. Everyone gets excited and get started except for Nicholas. Gooney Bird wondered why has Nicholas looks so glum. Let Gooney Bird findout!
Al lunch time everyone shared snacks except Nicholas. After lunch GB tells Mrs. Pidgeon about Nicholas. Then Mrs. Pidgeon along with GB talks to Nicholas. Nicholas finally says that he is worried because he doesn't know the animals with letter 'N'. "Is that why you were sad?" - Says GB. then she whispered an idea into Nicholas' idea. Nicholas and Gooney's story was a huge success!!
If I was in Gooney's place, i would have done the same thing.
April 26, 2023
After two books I rated positively, this one goes off the deep end.
In book three, it is now clear that Mrs. Pidgeon is a terrible teacher. She has abdicated her throne to her most precocious second grader, who is seen as an authority by all the kids and even the teacher herself. Even the principal has to ask her permission to march in a parade - while it may seem he is being cute in asking this, you get the impression if Gooney denied him he'd be on the sidelines.
I hate to call the depiction of Tyrone racist, but his clownish behavior gravitates toward the realm of stereotypes - to put it lightly. He raps not just for his fable reading, but seemingly as a form of communication. When he's not rapping, he is break dancing. There do not appear to be any other Black kids in the class, so being the sole representative, it induced cringing.
Smaller kids probably won't pick up on this, but it smacked me in the face like punch. Hoping book 4 returns to the quality of the first two.
In book three, it is now clear that Mrs. Pidgeon is a terrible teacher. She has abdicated her throne to her most precocious second grader, who is seen as an authority by all the kids and even the teacher herself. Even the principal has to ask her permission to march in a parade - while it may seem he is being cute in asking this, you get the impression if Gooney denied him he'd be on the sidelines.
I hate to call the depiction of Tyrone racist, but his clownish behavior gravitates toward the realm of stereotypes - to put it lightly. He raps not just for his fable reading, but seemingly as a form of communication. When he's not rapping, he is break dancing. There do not appear to be any other Black kids in the class, so being the sole representative, it induced cringing.
Smaller kids probably won't pick up on this, but it smacked me in the face like punch. Hoping book 4 returns to the quality of the first two.
February 22, 2021
This one in the style of the first book in the series, but instead of every story being told by Gooney Bird, each story is told by a different kid in the class—they are learning about fables, so each kid writes a fable about an animal that starts with the first letter of their name. I’m not sure that most second graders could actually write fables like this, but my second grader and I both really enjoyed listening to it.
My kiddo really liked the raps that Tyrone wrote but I think there was a bit of stereotyping in that character.
My kiddo really liked the raps that Tyrone wrote but I think there was a bit of stereotyping in that character.
May 5, 2020
Gooney Bird Greene thinks (and acts, and dresses) outside the box. Her antics even surprise adult readers sometimes! But she always acts from a heart of gold and ends up doing lots of good for the world, from finding dictionaries for her classmates to finding a room mother for their classroom. Funny and sweet at the same time.
September 21, 2020
Gooney Bird is such a fun, quirky character, but what I really love about these books is the additional learning they always inspire. This time we read Aesop’s Fables along with Gooney Bird’s second grade class and we’ll also be writing our own fables. The kids love these books and even enjoy doing similar projects alongside the characters.
July 9, 2019
Children will love these books. I preferred "Gooney the Fabulous" to the first two Gooney books because there was a little less of Gooney. The addition of a student with emotional/impulse control issues and another on the spectrum adds authenticity.
May 2, 2025
This is a good early chapter book. The content to me didn't seem that interesting but it was kind of funny, so I could see it appealing to some kids, though this wouldn't be the first book I handed to someone who doesn't like books. Some of it felt a little bit dated but nothing offensive.
August 26, 2018
little fables ; great lessons
July 14, 2019
Haiku review #36
Gooney's not the star
Of this one. Turns out others
Do not entertain.
Gooney's not the star
Of this one. Turns out others
Do not entertain.
October 13, 2019
Listened to this when I had an eye infection and couldn't read!
January 4, 2020
Teaches kids about fables, morals and storytelling. As usual, Gooney Bird has an unrealistic run of the classroom, but I think my daughters would give it at least four stars.
February 8, 2020
A nice series. Good vocabulary, slightly unrealistic, but some sweet stuff too. Happy and clean.
April 6, 2020
Lacked the magic of the original
September 27, 2020
My second grader is asking for the next one in the series. His favorite character is Tyrone because of all his fun raps.
May 28, 2021
This book made we want to do a whole unit here at home on fables. My daughter loved the parade and all of the costumes.
June 12, 2022
It was really really really good!
I hadn't read this book in a long time but I really enjoyed this book. It's so funny what Gooney bird green wears.
I hadn't read this book in a long time but I really enjoyed this book. It's so funny what Gooney bird green wears.
September 1, 2022
Book #7 in my Summer of Lois Lowry series.
September 5, 2023
This is a fun little children's book! I like the characters she has created with their quips and quirks - easy and enjoyable book!
September 15, 2023
My littlest reader said 5, so we will go with 4.5!
January 19, 2024
I read this Gooney Bird book to Ruby. She liked it.
November 19, 2014
Gooney the Fabulous is the story of young Gooney Bird Greene and her classmates, second grade students in Mrs. Pidgeon's class at Watertower Elementary School. Gooney seems wise beyond her years and is always helping Mrs. Pidgeon develop fun and exciting projects to engage her classmates. After Mrs. Pidgeon finishes reading Aesop's Fables to the class, Gooney decides it would be fun if each student created their own fables and presented them to the class before school is dismissed for Holiday break. Students are charged with the task of identifying an animal that begins with the same letter as their first name. Keiko chooses a kangaroo, Beanie selects a bear, and Gooney decides to work with Nick on the Gnu because Nick can't think of an animal and Gnu has both letters of each of their names. This story takes us through the trials and tribulations that take place in a second grade classroom as they attempt to organize their presentations. Although there are bumps in the road, Gooney is always there to offer advice or play the role of teacher's advocate, saving the day in any way she can.
This simple representation of realistic fiction is easy for young readers to follow along with as they join Gooney and her friends on their adventures in the classroom. Certainly geared towards younger readers, this story presents readers with a scenario that is fun and interesting, something that grabs their attention and keeps their interest. Although not an elaborate plot, the students' presentation of fables leaves the reader wanting to get to know each student in Gooney's class and the morals they have come up with.
I think this book would compliment the introduction of fables or morals nicely in a younger elementary setting. As Gooney and her friends present their fables, Mrs. Pideon tells the reader how each story does or does not meet the requirements of a fable, a story that deals with a moral issue. Several examples are given throughout the book, providing readers with a better understanding of what literary elements a fable should possess. Elementary students will really enjoy learning from Gooney as Mrs. Pidgeon teaches all of us in a way we can relate to.
This simple representation of realistic fiction is easy for young readers to follow along with as they join Gooney and her friends on their adventures in the classroom. Certainly geared towards younger readers, this story presents readers with a scenario that is fun and interesting, something that grabs their attention and keeps their interest. Although not an elaborate plot, the students' presentation of fables leaves the reader wanting to get to know each student in Gooney's class and the morals they have come up with.
I think this book would compliment the introduction of fables or morals nicely in a younger elementary setting. As Gooney and her friends present their fables, Mrs. Pideon tells the reader how each story does or does not meet the requirements of a fable, a story that deals with a moral issue. Several examples are given throughout the book, providing readers with a better understanding of what literary elements a fable should possess. Elementary students will really enjoy learning from Gooney as Mrs. Pidgeon teaches all of us in a way we can relate to.
August 15, 2013
Children of all ages will love Gooney Bird Green. Lois Lowry writes a wonderful series of stories about the precocious 2nd grader. In her first book about Gooney Bird, Gooney arrives at Watertown Elementary School and meets all of her classmates including: Mrs. Pidgeon (her new teacher), Tyrone (the rapper), Nicholas, Ben, Chelsea, Tricia, Keiko, Felicia Ann (little Miss Shy), Bruno (the Saint Bernard), Malcolm, Barry, Mr. Furillo (the Janitor), and Principal Leroy. Gooney Bird tells wonderful stories, and shares all of her experiences with her classmates.
In this second book, Gooney the Fabulous, comes up with a great way for the class to understand fables. Her suggestion is well received and each class member has to write their own fable about an animal.
These books are written especially for Grades 1-3. I enjoy reading them and discussing them with my two Granddaughters.
In this second book, Gooney the Fabulous, comes up with a great way for the class to understand fables. Her suggestion is well received and each class member has to write their own fable about an animal.
These books are written especially for Grades 1-3. I enjoy reading them and discussing them with my two Granddaughters.
July 6, 2008
Gooney Bird Greene and the second grade class at Watertower Elementary School are studying fables. Gooney Bird comes up with a great idea for everyone in the class to make up his or her own fable starring an animal that starts with the first letter of each child's name. The whole class is excited and can't wait to share their fables. Gooney Bird is put in charge of the project and helps out Nicholas with his big problem. And everyone has to help Malcolm stop saying everything three times (might have something to do with the triplets).
Another cute Gooney Bird Greene story. Lowry efortlessly gets the short attention span mentality of the second graders. Fun stuff and Gooney Bird is a great character.
Another cute Gooney Bird Greene story. Lowry efortlessly gets the short attention span mentality of the second graders. Fun stuff and Gooney Bird is a great character.
March 29, 2012
Gooney Bird is a student in Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade classroom. Mrs. Pidgeon is reading fables to the class and Gooney Bird comes up with the "fabulous" idea that all the students should make up their own fable and come up with one prop. The characters have typical 2nd grade idiosyncrasies - Tyrone turns everything into a rap, Keiko doesn't want to hear anything violent, Malcolm repeats everything three times, Felicia Ann can't say her S's, and Nicholas has a problem that has to be figured out.
It would be a great introduction to teaching fables. Lots of new vocabulary is introduced. Great read-aloud!
It would be a great introduction to teaching fables. Lots of new vocabulary is introduced. Great read-aloud!
June 26, 2015
I had my hopes up for this series, but this third outing has made me feel less respect for Ms. Lowry than I ever could. The class of 2nd grade is doing a project involving fables with animals, and often the results are less than spectacular. One boy raps till it gets irritating, and even the principal gets into a rap session, which makes it all worse. Not to mention there are moments that reek of stigma, as when the kids are reminded ad nauseam that proper grammar is expected, which, to me, is a horrible way to teach a child to use his/her imagination. I shudder to think what the fourth book has in store.
January 14, 2016
I'm struggling with the leadership role the teacher is giving Gooney Bird in the classroom. Gooney seems older and more mature than a second grader. Her voice doesn't ring true.
I also have a hang up that all of the kids needed to come with an animal that started with the letter of their first name, not the sound of their first name and yet Chelsea was told to match the "CH" of her first name to an animal not just the "C".
I also have a hang up that all of the kids needed to come with an animal that started with the letter of their first name, not the sound of their first name and yet Chelsea was told to match the "CH" of her first name to an animal not just the "C".
June 10, 2020
I'd probably want to read this with 7 or 8 year old kids. Then, we could talk about the ideas while reading. And we'd continue using the ideas from the book when we read other books. I'd also focus on the 'life lessons' aspect of fables. Can kids recognize 'life lessons' as they encounter them?
Report vs story vs fable. Good intro for kids. Then, too, there's another angle to consider -- What makes a story good (as opposed to boring)?
Report vs story vs fable. Good intro for kids. Then, too, there's another angle to consider -- What makes a story good (as opposed to boring)?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews