I Am Goose!

K-Gr 2–A simple game of Duck, Duck, Goose quickly gets complicated when Goose joins the game. Goose is incensed every time someone else is tapped as goose. “You can’t be serious. That’s Turtle. I’m Goose.” There is ranting and even a lesson including visual aides (“THIS is a goose. That is NOT a goose.”). Rabbit, who is running the game, repeatedly and politely tries to keeps things on track but when this fails, she produces a rule book that allows her to say, “You’d better wait your turn or, or…YOU CAN’T PLAY!” This brings immediate results and the game resumes with Goose finally being tagged goose. In the middle of Goose’s celebration, a flock of mallard Ducks asks to play with the expected results (“No, I’m Duck!”). The story employs speech bubbles, giving each of the animals a voice in the proceedings, which they all use to good effect. A trio of squirrels provide ongoing commentary. There are also running jokes regarding the Dodo and the Fox, who is hungrily eyeing the Hen. The illustrations depict fairly realistic, not overly adorable, animals with dynamic facial expressions. Use of double-page spreads and ample white space help keep the various story elements straight.