



The Lonely Goose
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Mar 11, 2025
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- $8.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
In this lyrical and poignant nonfiction book about loss, follow the lives of a pair of Canada geese as they perform their courtship rituals, raise nests full of chicks, and migrate with the seasons... until one goose has to brave the world alone.
Here is how he won her over:
He was the best dancer with the most powerful moves.
He hissed loudly and bravely.
He had a long, sleek neck and a fine bill.
This is a stunningly illustrated, moving picture book about two geese bonded for life. They have six eggs, and then six chicks, and they teach them how to fly. But when one of the geese in the partnership becomes ill and dies, what happens to its partner goose? She is forced, suddenly, to brave the world on her own—until a new partner goose comes along, calling to her with his own powerful moves. With scientific facts, a beautiful text, and gorgeous art work, young readers will find themselves inspired to take a closer look at the natural world around them.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.