cover image Goose Who Almost Got Cooked

Goose Who Almost Got Cooked

Marc Simont. Scholastic, $15.95 (40pp) ISBN 978-0-590-69075-1

Caldecott Medalist Simont's (A Tree Is Nice) masterly illustrations blend equal parts humor and suspense in this tale of an adventurous goose who narrowly avoids the roasting pan. A brief rest stop at a farm stretches into a lengthy sojourn as Emily enjoys the good life--regular meals, companionship with a gaggle of domestic geese, a shed for shelter. One day, however, she senses something amiss when one of her friends disappears. Shocked to discover a bucket of feathers (""Horrors!"")--and to glimpse her friend's remains on a platter at the kitchen table--Emily tries to escape, but discovers that she's molting, and therefore grounded. Conveniently enough, her feathers grow back just in time to make a desperate getaway. As always, Simont's illustrations are a model of simplicity and grace. Some scenes are strikingly beautiful, as when the geese fly in formation against a misty, cloud-filled sky; others display a comic touch, such as Emily's run-in with the farmer's blowsy wife. The superbly modulated art has no trouble getting this tale off the ground. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)