Gossie&Gertie
Olivier Dunrea
Gossie&Gertie
Olivier Dunrea
Houghton Mifflin Company Boston
Copyright © 2002 by Olivier Dunrea
All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce
selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company,
215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.
The text of this book is set in 20-point Shannon.
The illustrations are ink and watercolor on paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dunrea, Olivier.
Gossie and Gertie / written and illustrated by Olivier Dunrea.
p. cm.
Summary: Gossie and Gertie are best friends and everywhere Gossie goes, Gertie
goes too—except when she doesn't, and sometimes that's even better.
ISBN 0-618-17676-4
[1. Geese—Fiction. 2. Best friends—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.D922 Gr 2002 [E]-dc21 2002000213
Manufactured in China
SCP 10 9 8
For Pupper
This is Gossie.
This is Gertie.
Gossie wears bright red boots.
Gertie wears bright blue boots.
They are friends.
Best friends.
They splash in the rain.
They play hide-and-seek in the daisies.
They dive in the pond.
They watch in the night.
They play in the haystacks.
Gossie and Gertie are best friends.
Everywhere Gossie goes,
Gertie goes too.
"Follow me!" cried Gossie.
Gossie marched to the barn.
Gertie followed.
"Follow me!" cried Gossie.
Gossie sneaked to the sheep.
Gertie followed.
"Follow me!" cried Gossie.
Gossie jumped into a mud puddle.
Gertie did not follow.
"Follow me!" shouted Gossie.
Gertie followed a hopping frog.
"Follow me!" shouted Gossie.
But Gertie followed a butterfly.
"Follow me!" shouted Gossie.
Gertie followed a shiny blue beetle.
"Follow me!" shouted Gossie as she followed Gertie.
Gertie followed a trail of grain.
"Follow me!" said Gertie.
"It's dinnertime!"
Gossie followed.
Gossie and Gertie are friends. Best friends.
Table of Contents
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K-Two books that are sure to become favorites because they tap into quintessential preschool experiences. In the first book, Gossie’s red boots are missing. When they are found on the feet of Gertie, a smaller gosling, Gossie ends up sharing them. In the second story, Gertie is back, this time with blue boots of her own. She follows Gossie and does everything Gossie says, for a while. When she begins to do her own thing, her friend gets upset. By the end, the tables turn and Gertie leads Gossie to the food bowl, which they share, struggles forgotten. Dunrea’s texts use easy words and simple, repetitive sentences, with a little bit of rhyming when it fits: “She wears them when she rides. She wears them when she hides” (Gossie). The ink-and-watercolor illustrations add little details that will reward observant children, such as a small insect in the background. Gossie’s rural world is reassuringly child-sized, clear, and contained, as indicated by simple lines, primary colors, and focused illustrations on a white background. Because of the books’ small size they will be better for one-on-one sharing than for group storytime. Young children will ask to hear these stories again and again, and they’re just right for little hands.
Laurie von Mehren, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Reviewed with Olivier Dunrea’s Gossie.
PreS. These small, square picture books introduce two little goslings in stories as unassuming yet satisfying as the art that illustrates them. Gossie features a little goose who loves wearing her bright red boots everywhere. One morning, they are missing. Searching everywhere, Gossie becomes increasingly distressed until she finds her boots on the feet of another, slightly smaller gosling. The last page shows the duo walking together, each wearing one red boot. In Gossie & Gertie, Gossie in her red boots and Gertie in blue ones are inseparable companions. Gossie, who expects Gertie to follow her lead, is increasingly annoyed when Gertie follows her own path. These beautifully designed volumes are simple enough for a two-year-old, yet they offer enough of a story to entertain older preschoolers as well. Pleasing in their economy of line, the bright ink-and-watercolor illustrations look clean and sharp against the white backgrounds. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved