Tharlet, Eve. Nancy, the Little Gosling. Illustrated by Eve Tharlet. Minedition, 2005. ISBN 0698400089. $14.99. 32 p.
Reviewer: Sandra L. Tidwell
Reading Level: Preschool
Rating: Excellent
Genre: Animal Stories;
Subject: Individuality--Juvenile fiction; Geese--Juvenile fiction; Butterflies--Juvenile Fiction; Books--Reviews;
Nancy, the gosling, is in training for waddling, flying, and swimming, but she would rather be looking at butterflies! She wants to be a butterfly researcher! Although Nancy's mother explains that these other skills will help her keep up with her fast-flying insect friends, Nancy is still miserable, because tomorrow is swimming lessons and Nancy hates water! The next day all the goslings have gathered at the edge of the pond for swimming lessons, when the unique butterfly Nancy has been chasing flitters by. Nancy quickly steps on the nearest lily pad, grabs its submerged stem, and by paddling with her other foot, skillfully surfs across the water to take a closer look at the butterfly. The other goslings watch in amazement and cheer as Nancy water surfs back to shore. Now everyone wants to learn how to water surf. This time Nancy is the teacher, and she will take the opportunity to teach her friends a little about butterflies, too!
This picture book is a fun way to and to emphasize that everyone has unique talents and abilities from which we can learn. Eve Tharlet, author and illustrator, will be remembered for her rabbit Davy books. It's fun to see the way Tharlet captures various gosling emotions by varying eyes, eyebrows, and beaks. A cute read-aloud.
