{"id":33074,"date":"2018-09-05T22:52:44","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T02:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33074"},"modified":"2018-09-05T22:54:49","modified_gmt":"2018-09-06T02:54:49","slug":"review-of-pig-goose-and-the-first-day-of-spring-by-rebecca-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33074","title":{"rendered":"Review of Pig & Goose and the First Day of Spring, by Rebecca Bond"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Pig & Goose<\/p>\n

and the First Day of Spring<\/em><\/p>\n

by Rebecca Bond<\/p>\n

Charlesbridge, 2017. 48 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

This is a beginning reader in the classic \u201ctwo friends\u201d tradition. We learn how Pig meets Goose on the first day of Spring.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the start of the book and the story \u201cA Spring Morning\u201d:<\/p>\n

It was spring at last.
\nPig was in a good mood.
\n\u201cThe sun is shining!\u201d said Pig.
\n\u201cThe sky is blue!\u201d said Pig.
\n\u201cGoody gumdrops!\u201d said Pig.
\n\u201cI am going to have a picnic by the pond.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pig is anthropomorphic, wearing a dress and gathering things from her cozy home into a picnic basket. On the way to the pond, Goose lands beside her. She admires how well Goose flies, so Goose offers to teach her.<\/p>\n

You can figure out how the flying lesson will end up! But I like the way they collapse into a pile of good-hearted laughter after they try it. And then they go together to eat the picnic by the pond.<\/p>\n

The second story is \u201cA Picnic Lunch.\u201d They share lunch and talk about how spring is the best season but then agree that all the other seasons are best, too. Pig naps in the sunshine and dreams of flying like Goose. When she wakes up, she learns that Goose can also swim. What an amazing new friend she has!<\/p>\n

That story ends with Pig inviting Goose to the party she\u2019s having that evening, her First-Day-of-Spring Party.<\/p>\n

The final story is about the party. Pig introduces Goose to her many friends. Pig made wonderful food to eat, tells delightful stories and jokes, and laughs and dances with her friends.<\/p>\n

After the party, Goose tells Pig how wonderful she is \u2013 and I like that the author doesn\u2019t have to explain to the reader why that is, they\u2019ve already seen how delightful she is. Even her exuberant cry (repeated often) of \u201cGoody Gumdrops!\u201d tells us how enthusiastic she is about her joys.<\/p>\n

[I used to like to say \u201cGoody Gumdrops!\u201d when I was a kid. Made me wonder if Rebecca Bond is the same age as me. Well, she\u2019s 8 years younger, but that\u2019s not too far off. Do kids today say \u201cGoody Gumdrops!\u201d? Maybe now they will.]<\/p>\n

This is a picture book about friendship and about simple joys. And I like the way it shows us that each friend has something of their own to offer.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad we can peek in on the start of this beautiful friendship.<\/p>\n

[Note: I was looking up Rebecca Bond’s website and discovered, sadly, that she died August 2, 2017, at 45 years old<\/a>. So the friendship of Pig and Goose will only be developing in our imaginations.]<\/p>\n

charlesbridge.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/pig_and_goose.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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