The Lonely Goose

This sensitive wildlife portrait is, on one level, a depiction of the strong lifelong bonds formed by Canada geese; on another, it’s a full-on love story. Precisely drafted mixed-media illustrations in delicate tints by Hunter (The Den That Octopus Built) deepen the romance. “Here is how he won her over,” Nargi (The Honeybee Man) opens. “He was the best dancer with the most powerful moves. He hissed loudly and bravely.” A female goose in cattails watches the male’s display—wings outstretched, beak open. Vignettes show their courtship, nest (“The world was the two of them”), clutch of eggs, the goslings they raise, and their annual trip south. Then unforeseen catastrophe puts an end to their partnership, and the remaining goose grieves, refusing to migrate south with other geese and spending the winter alone by the pond (“The world was just her now”). Little by little, though, she emerges from mourning and begins again. Pages describing the goose’s despair hit hard in this work about how grief can diminish and life can carry on, for geese as well as for humans. More about the species concludes. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Essie White, Storm Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary. (Mar.)