The Little Green Goose

Mr. Goose longs for a chick of his own... a downy little goose who would call him Daddy. None of the hens will spare him an egg, so he is delighted when Daisy the dog digs one up. Mr. Goose tends it carefully, and out pops what the proud parent calls a green goosebut what the illustrations reveal to be a dinosaur. The hatchling calls Mr. Goose Mama until the barnyard chicks point out the utter lack of physical resemblance; after hopefully approaching a frog, a fish and a lizard as his mother, the dinosaur happily goes home to reclaim Mr. Goose. Passages in this story, by an Austrian author making her American debut, recall P.D. Eastmans Are You My Mother?, but the plot is more complex and the point differentthat parents and children dont have to match. Markss (Over the Hills and Far Away) supple artwork, with colors blending freely in watery dabs, playfully conveys Mr. Gooses fatherly pride. Buoyant and limber, his characters lightly trip through the pages, capitalizing on the happy humor in the text. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)