Goose and the Mountain Lion

The other animals in the barn suspect a mountain lion of stealing Goose's eggs, but when they stand guard, the eggs keep disappearing anyway

Kindergarten-Grade 3-When Goose's eggs begin to disappear, the barnyard animals fear that a mountain lion has been on the prowl. They take turns watching out for it, not noticing that it is a pack rat who is the real culprit. When the mountain lion makes its inevitable appearance, Goose scares it away by howling, whirling, slapping, and snapping at it. She is then happily reunited with her newly hatched chicks. The story, though rather predictable, moves along nicely enough until the ending, which is somewhat puzzling. In the introduction, Ms. Harris explains that goslings latch onto the first thing they see upon hatching, yet the first time readers see them they are dutifully following their mother, with no explanation as to how they were reunited. Children will also be confused by the selective blindness of the various animals who see the pack rat, but fail to notice the eggs that he is carrying, even though the eggs are as large as he is. The illustrations are nicely done, especially in the menacing full-page portrayal of the sinister mountain lion's face, or the amusing depiction of the dapper ox who sports an umbrella and a bowler hat. The pictures help immensely, but do not make up for the flaws in the story.
George Delalis, formerly at Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When Goose hears the other farm animals talking about a mountain lion, she worries lest it suddenly fancy a spot of goose for supper. However, the invader seems more interested in Goose's offspring, for next morning one of her "clutch of four creamy-white eggs" has disappeared. That night the goat stands guard but another egg goes missing, until one by one all the farm animals have stood sentinel and all the eggs have vanished. The story's humor is conveyed by the illustrations, which show a tiny pack rat hoisting the eggs into a wagon while the guards scan the horizon for lions. Following in the footsteps of Aesop's tales, the well-paced narrative hums with wry amusement as it demonstrates the dangers of blinkered vision. The deftly sketched artwork, detailed down to the last hair, is somewhat less subtle; the animals bedecked in ribbons and bonnets do little to complement the text. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4-7. In an author's note, Harris remarks on the problems that pioneer ranchers had with mountain lions. In this story, a goose sitting on four eggs hears the other animals talking about a mountain lion roaming the area. Her fears are realized as her eggs are stolen one by one, and though her barnyard friends try to protect them from what they assume is the mountain lion's thievery, they miss the real culprit, a pack rat. When the mountain lion actually shows up, hungry for goose, the goose is so furious she flaps and slaps and turns into a howling monster. In an ending that comes much too quickly after the lion turns tail, the final spread shows the mama goose trailed by her newly hatched goslings. The wife-husband duo provides an amusing enough story with attractive art that features animals full of personality. All the action and the good-size art make this an appropriate choice for groups. Ilene Cooper